Why Does Aphrodite Love To Mess With Me?
by ILoveLukeC
Summary: Kayla West was normal almost five hours ago. But now? She's the main pawn in the gods' hands. They have many plans for her, starting with overcoming the biggest obstacle of life: Love. Let's see what the gods have in store for her. Nico/OC; OC/OC
1. A Dream Come True

**Kayla's POV:**

This had all been a fantasy, a dream I'd never truly woken up from. I can't walk around without meeting a monster, god, demigod or brainwashed mortal who thinks _I'm _the bad guy. But, then again, maybe I shouldn't have read the books and taken the warning into consideration.

Maybe I should've stayed the hormonal teen who was considered a geek by her crazy fast reading skill and surplus mythology trivia and imagination that seemed to go on forever, even past the fences and hills, right up beside the WARNING signs, where it laughed in the face of danger. I most certainly was _not _hero material. But, I'd been okay with that. Until now.

I know what you're thinking: why not choose a dumb jock or preppy cheerleader who had the physical appearance of Hercules? Or, better yet, a normal person, who hadn't even suspected that Greek, Roman and Egyptian gods lied behind a thin magical veil of Mist?

But, I shouldn't be knockin' it. I _could _be one of the brainwashed mortals or … dead. Yeah, I like living out of those options.

Well, before we get any farther into introductions, maybe we start at the very beginning.

It had been April 19th, my 15th birthday, and you wouldn't believe my luck—Rick Riordan was in here, signing books in Omaha, Nebraska! So, I'd picked out just the right attire—orange Camp Half-Blood shirt I'd bought last week from some random PJO website, a pair of my ripped dark blue jeans, my cute little military boots, my gray Areopostle jacket, and as a second thought, a brown cord with Percy's beads that I'd gotten a few Christmases ago.

I picked up my purse, threw my Mark of Athena book deep into the cottony fabric, as well as my cell phone and a couple of bucks for some coffee at the Starbucks in Barnes 'N Noble. My hands were starting to twitch with excitement, and I could barely suppress the stupid smile that was forming over my lips.

My mom dropped my off at the bookstore reminding me that she would be staying with my grandparents this weekend with my dad and younger sister. "Take a bunch of pictures!" she told me, slamming the car door shut as she waved good-bye and sped out of the parking lot like she were on a high-speed chase. I rolled my eyes. My mom, you gotta love her.

I turned on my heel to face two double glass doors. As I threw them open, I couldn't help but let out a fan girl squeal. There he was, in all of his author-glory.

Large pictures of the books' characters hung by threads along the ceiling, right over Rick's head. He impatiently tapped his ballpoint pen on his wooden desk, as he looked around the room. His graying black hair reminded me of one of his characters—Paul, Percy's step-dad, who'd been described with salt-and-pepper hair.

I grabbed myself a caramel cappuccino from the tiny Starbucks, as I began to wander around the bookstore, picking up random best sellers and reading the summaries on the backs while brushing my fingers over the dazzling front covers. I had started to get to the very back when I practically ran into a short man who was dressed in some jeans and a red plaid shirt. A NY Giants baseball cap smothered his brown curls, and his beady black eyes widened as he tripped and fell. He cursed under his breath in a different language, as he muttered into his cell phone, "Look, I'll call you back." He whirled on me, as he asked, "Look, cupcake, why don't you watch where you're going next time? That was my girlfriend on the phone, and she's more pissed at me than Demeter was at Hades for stealing her daughter!"

"Sorry!" I said, bending down to pick up some fallen books from one of the nearby displays. I looked up to realize he had been sniffing the air, like a bloodhound on a rabbit's scent. "Um, can I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, your perfume. It smells great," he replied, looking over my appearance. "Are you a fan?" he asked, gesturing to my clothes.

"Yeah, actually. I came to get my book signed," I told him, placing the books back onto the display neatly. He smiled, "Well, nobody's in line. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to sign for you."

I sighed, and began to follow the guy all the way to the front, where Rick was still sitting. He looked up and smiled as I slid my book in front of him. "Whom should I make it out to?" he asked, poising his pen above the title page.

"Kayla. Kayla West," I told him. I watched him share a nervous glance with NY Giants guy, but he began to scribble his signature.

"Wait—before you finish, I have a question. Why did you choose Omaha as Midas' hometown in The Lost Hero?" I asked, watching him laugh lightly.

"Oh, just a coincidence," he murmured under his breath.

"Don't give me that," I replied snidely. "Your books taught me that there was no such thing as a coincidence!"

He looked up, his face growing serious and his shoulders becoming tense. He scribbled a phone number into the book, as he told me, "Call this number. My housekeeper, Mellie, should answer, and when she does, ask for reinforcements. You'll need them." He thrust the book into my open hands. "Remember, anyone can be a hero. You just have to believe."

I gave him one last weird look, as I said, "Um, okay…" I began to walk toward the entrance, still highly confused, as I bumped into a tall blonde guy, causing my purse to throw up all of its embarrassing contents onto the floor, which the guy began to pick up.

Two lip-gloss tubes, a neon purple tampon, and three packets of gum later, the guy had helped me basically rearrange my purse. He smiled, and extended a hand, "Hi, I'm Luke. Luke Castellan."

_Okay, I'm officially losing it, _I thought, shaking his hand back and looking over his face. A crude white scar ran under his left eye, which caused a shiver to rush down my shoulders and arms like an electric shock. I gave him a smile, rushed out my name and a hasty good-bye after seeing the shock on his face, and turned on my heel and rushed out the doors.

…

That night, at 7:00, I opened the front cover of the Mark of Athena to stare at the scrawled number, which I dialed into my cell phone.

A girl's perky voice picked up. "Riordan residence! May I please ask who I'm speaking to?"

"Kayla West." A gasp emitted from the other end. "Rick told me I'd need rein—"

"I'll send them!" She interrupted. "Just don't—under any circumstances—let anyone into your home!"

The second after she said that, a knock pounded the front door, shaking the wooden slab on its hinges. I turned to it, as I approached the peephole and peeked through. A giant brown eye greeted my sight, and I had to muffle my scream. I whispered urgently into the phone, "Mellie, why is there a freaking Cyclops on my front porch?"

"Sweetie, I'm sending the camp's best demigods to come get you," Mellie assured. "Just stay put, okay?"

I nodded, but then replied with "yeah" when I remembered she was still on the other line. I sat down on my couch, freaking out mentally as I rocked myself back and forth. "I'm _not _crazy," I whispered to myself, even though I didn't believe that at all.

I heard something outside, the dull metallic clang of something that sounded way too much like a sword. I leapt from my seat and stared out the window in absolute shock. There they were. The kids from the books. Percy Jackson, the ultimate hero from the series, was glaring at the Cyclops, twirling Riptide in his hand like a pro. Annabeth appeared behind the Cyclops, yanking her cap off her bouncy blonde curls as she stabbed the Cyclops hard in its side, and when it yelped in pain, she slapped her cap back onto her head, disappearing immediately. Nico di Angelo—yes, _the _Nico di Angelo—jumped out of the shadows, leaping off of Mrs. O' Leary and landing on his feet in front of the dazed monster, as he swiped at the monster's pudgy legs with his black sword. Grover Underwood began to blow into his panpipes, causing the grass of my front lawn to explode into a flurry of lengthy green vines, which wrapped around the Cyclops in order to keep him still. The Cyclops was beheaded with one clean swipe of Percy's sword.

I couldn't believe it. Was this a dream? _It must be, _I thought. _You're life could never be this good._

Mellie's voice interrupted my thoughts, "Kayla? They're here to explain everything to you. Please let them in."

I numbly opened the door, to face my four favorite Percy Jackson characters. Annabeth smiled at me, and extended her hand in a friendly way. She didn't seem like the girl I'd seen a few moments before, who'd fearlessly stabbed a Cyclops in the back. "Hi, Kayla, right?"

"Yeah," I said, flipping out on the inside.

"I'm Annabeth. Rick told me you read the books?" she asked, smiling. Percy's description fit her perfectly. California tan, blonde "princess curls", startling stormy gray eyes. I shook her hand.

Percy gave me a goofy grin. "Hey, I'm Percy Jackson." I shook his hand. Yeah, he was _definitely _a Seaweed Brain.

Grover smiled nervously, as he said, "Uh, Grover Underwood. Perce, we better hurry. I smell more monsters."

Percy nodded, knowing now after so many years that Grover's nose wasn't to be underestimated. Nico met my gaze, as he jerked out his hand. "Uh, Nico. Nico di Angelo. Son of, uh, Hades." I shook his hand and gave him a smile.

Annabeth glanced around. "Is your family home?"

"No, they're staying at my grandparents' house," I told her. Percy suggested, "How about you grab those books Rick keeps talking about? He says they're important." I nodded, invited them in, and rushed upstairs to shove each and every PJO, HoO and Kane Chronicles book into one of my backpacks. I hefted it over my shoulder, and began to hop down the stairs into the living room.

Percy turned to me when I'd gotten to the last step. "We need to leave. Now," he told me, as he grabbed Annabeth's hand and began to walk out the front door. I ended up walking beside Nico. He turned to me and asked, "Are you having a tough time processing this?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, you guys were fiction almost five minutes ago." I stared at his intense hazel eyes for a moment before realizing something—_I _was talking to Nico, a fictional son of Hades who was maybe the hottest Goth guy on the planet. And now, he wasn't fictional. He was _real _and _here. _

I asked him, "Would it be weird if I poked you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I've never been asked that before. Well, if you really want to… Go ahead, I guess." He stood straighter, and I poked him in the stomach.

"You have abs?" I asked, raising my eyebrows since I could feel them under the thin fabric of his Nickelback shirt.

He blushed a light pink. "Uh, yeah."

I shrugged. "Could've fooled me," I told him, giving him a smirk as Annabeth shouted, "Hey, lovebirds! Stop flirting back there! We need to get to camp _now_!"

I blushed and looked away from Nico, only to become overwhelmed by a giant white chariot. Two winged steeds whinnied in impatience, probably sensing the monsters just like Grover could. One of the steeds was a sleek midnight black, with a long black mane and swishy tail. His black almond eyes gleamed with happiness, as he neighed cheerfully, even though the monsters were bound to pop around the corner. It was Blackjack, Percy's Pegasus. The other one was golden yellow with a caramel mane and long tail, and the tips of her wings looked like edges of toasted marshmallows.

"Whoa." I whispered, as Nico pulled me along.

Grover pulled the door shut, as he sat beside Percy. Annabeth smiled at me as I dumped my backpack onto the wooden chariot floor. "So, could you explain the books to us?" 

I sighed as I spread my hands out. "Well… Do you really want to know?"

Annabeth and Grover nodded eagerly, while Percy and Nico shrugged like _whatever you want. _I smiled slightly, "Okay then. Let's let the fan girl out."

Tell me if you guys like this. I had a dream about it, and it sort of flowed from there. And, I think this is after MoA and maybe even a few future books, since it's after Percy and Annabeth are reunited and Nico is found. Kayla's going to basically be the … what do you call it? Uh, I guess the super glue that fixes all of the cracks in the gods' arguments and lives. I think it might be a crossover with all of Rick's books—PJO, HoO, Kane Chronicles. Thanks for reading and please leave a review! (To my other reviewers of my other stories: I think I'm going to put off the Dreadful Family for a while. I know, Jesse's life is really exciting and all, but he needs a break as much as I do. Also, Writer's Block freaking sucks.) Please Review! 


	2. Falling From The Sky

**Kayla's POV:**

I'd gotten finished explaining, when Butch's gruff voice shouted, "Percy! Where do I land?" Percy stood up, opened one of the doors, and climbed to the front seat beside him, as he took the reins.

Annabeth shut the door behind him, as she turned to me. "So, we're fictional characters?"

"Or, you were," I clarified, shoving the books into my backpack. Nico picked up The Red Pyramid.

He gazed at the two kids on the cover and the gold hieroglyphics. "What about this book?" he asked, showing me the cover.

My eyes widened as I took it from his hands. "You'll have to ask Rick about that," I said. "I don't think he wants you to know about them just yet." Nico rolled his eyes as he slumped against his seat.

I took my iPodTouch from my purse and tossed it to him along with my headphones. He glanced at me, and I put one of them in my ear. "C'mon, Dead Boy," I said. "Don't tell me you can't listen to music? Does Chiron have rules against that to?"

Nico put the other ear bud into his ear, as he began to click on Don't Trust Me by 3OH!3. "You seriously listen to these guys?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It's only because they freaking rock!" I exclaimed, smiling as I began to bob my head to the lyrics.

Grover glanced at us, and then turned to face Annabeth. He whispered something like, "Do you really think it's her?"

She whispered back, "Must be. Rick wouldn't send us to go find some random mortal without a perfectly logical explanation."

They glanced at me again and noticed that I only had _one _earphone in, so they began to speak in Greek. Which, oddly enough, I could understand.

They spoke louder and clearer than they did before, since they suspected I couldn't understand them—which I shouldn't of.

Annabeth began to speak, "Do you think that she's the girl the gods were talking about at the Winter Solstice?"

Grover shrugged. "Maybe. All they said was that she would be _really _important. They all seemed to like her. Even Hera and Ares, if that's even possible."

"Maybe we should IM Chiron. Make sure we got the right person," Annabeth thought aloud.

But, before Annabeth or Grover could continue their conversation, Percy shouted, "Mayday! Mayday! We're going down! Hold on tight!"

All of a sudden, we lurched forward, getting tossed off of our little benches and thrown to the wooden floor. I yelped in pain as Nico's arm landed squarely in my ribs. Grover and Annabeth hit the floor with a thud beside us, as I heard Percy shout, "We're almost there!"

Then, the chariot door slid open, and I got a glimpse of where we were. The forest near Camp Half-Blood. I spotted Thalia's pine tree, and the glittery ram's skin of the Golden Fleece on one of its branches. We were going straight toward it.

Annabeth glanced at us. "Are you guys okay?"

"Nothing a little nectar can't fix," Nico groaned, sitting up. Maybe a little bit too soon.

The chariot shook to the left violently, causing us to slam against the back wall, opening that chariot door as well. Percy shouted, "Sorry!" but his voice was lost in the roar of the wind.

Again, the chariot lurched, to the left once more, and I fell right out of the chariot and landed awkwardly on my leg, after falling over seven scratchy branches. I slammed my head against the damp muddy earth as I groaned in pain. Without even moving my leg, I knew for sure it was shattered like a glass vase. I watched the chariot fly through the magical boundary and crash-land right in the lake, the same way Butch had crashed when Jason and the gang arrived here their first time. I closed my eyes, grimacing as I began to slide myself into a sitting position.

_Damn it, _I thought. I looked down at my leg. I would probably have to wait for the Apollo medics. But, then came the question—what would they give me? Nectar or ambrosia would kill me if I was a regular mortal. Regular gauze wouldn't help a broken leg, and Tylenol would only dull the pain.

I was about to look for a broken stick that I could use as a crutch, when I heard a bloodthirsty chorus of howls behind me. I craned my neck around to see a pack of… wolves. Black wolves with red eyes and sharp jagged silver fangs. Their bodies were thin and missing tuffs of fur on their backs and stomachs, which revealed their pinkish white skin underneath. They stopped, sniffed the air, caught my gaze and rushed forward, grinning wolfish grins like they were imagining me on a silver platter, surrounded by leafy greens and red baby tomatoes.

I grabbed a branch that was over my head and I yanked myself up to a standing position, even though my leg was aching and cringing in pain and agony. I started to climb the tree, using only one leg, which was really hard and not easy at all. I was maybe on the fifth branch, when the dogs began to circle around the tree with hunger blazing over their blood red eyes. They growled and yelped and howled as they tried to jump onto the tree. After a while, it got so boring, I was going to pop in my earphones when suddenly, I realized Nico still had them along with my bag of books.

I started to mentally curse myself. I smacked my head against the tree bark. This couldn't get any worse.

A wolf-man walked over, as the wolves moved aside so he could look me over directly. His brown hair was overgrown and his face was covered in black stubble, while his left ear had a large bite mark in it. He wore a sort of wolf-skin cloak and had camouflage over his body. He gave me a wolfish grin, as if he thought it was ultra appealing. I had to hold back the urge to gag.

"Hello, Pandorian," he chided. "I am Lycoan, the god of wolves. You do know wolves can jump _into _that tree, right?"

I glared at him. "Hey! I have a damn broken leg! Just leave me alone and find a shower! I could smell you five miles away!"

Lycoan's lip curled up in a growl. "If you could smell me before, why not hide in a better place?"

"Look, Mr. Wolf-Man, what do you want? And, what the heck is a _Pandorian_?"

The wolf-guy sighed, as he said, "A Pandorian is what _you _are. Basically, you're really powerful and the people of Olympus, Rome and Egypt all envy you like crazy. Which is why, Gaea had asked me to bring you to her military base."

"No thanks," I snarled, which even made his wolves tuck their tails between their legs. "You lost me right after Gaea. From what I've heard—she's bad and siding with her would be like siding with the Devil, so uh, could you and your pack leave me alone?"

"That's not what I wanted to hear," Lycoan said, with only a fake hint of sadness. "I guess I'll have to use Plan B—wolves, attack!" He pointed his finger toward my tree, and all of the wolves rushed forward, pissed and hungry. I yelped, as I yanked a sharp branch from the tree, and stabbed a hungry wolf in the stomach, piercing it as blood gushed from its now open wound.

All of the wolves frenzied after seeing its pal get stabbed, so they all flipped out and started to gnaw and scratch the tree trunk, but they still weren't jumping. Odd, I know. And then, I heard Lycoan snarl under his breath, "Those cursed gods are messing with my wolves! Fine. Never send a dog to do a gods' job."

Lycoan leapt forward, as he began to transform into a wolf. Now, you'd probably expect him to look something like Jacob Black, right? You could never be so wrong.

Lycoan's clothes were immediately thrown off of him, and his exposed skin was enveloped in brown fur. His dark brown eyes turned a startling yellow as he began to change. A tail poked from his rear end, his ears grew longer and pointier to fix on the top of his head, and claws erupted from his hands, as they too, transformed into tiny paws. He leapt forward angrily, his claws five inches from my throat, when a girl shouted, "And, fire!"

Arrows and glass jars of emerald Greek fire slammed into Lycoan's side, and the fire exploded, popping the glass and sparking the wolves' tails aflame. The wolves panicked, yelping and whimpering, trying to blow out the flames, but it was useless. The fire wouldn't go out.

Lycoan gave me one last golden glare and a menacing snarl, before his pack rushed away along with him, running as fast from the border line as they could.

The campers all filed in next. I recognized Thalia Grace, with her spiky black hair and her electric blue eyes, as well as her silver Hunter uniform. A bow was gripped in her hand. She stood beside Annabeth and Percy.

Clarisse and Chris stood near the back. Her stringy reddish brown hair had grown the slightest thicker and longer than what Percy had described. Something surprised me dearly—Clarisse was actually wearing make-up! Piper must've convinced her to give it a try.

The Stoll brothers grinned at me from behind one of the large fir trees. They were whispering, rubbing their hands to together and laughing while they discussed what kind of pranks to pull on the 'newbie.'

A few Apollo kids stepped forward. One of them inspected my leg. He looked up, "I think it's broken."

I stared at him. "Oh, really now," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

He nodded, as he told me, "Can you get past the barrier? Are you a demigod?"

I glanced at the barrier uneasily. "If I somehow get over there, and I'm not a demigod, will it blow me up?"

"It'll just block you out," Annabeth told me.

I nodded, as one of the Apollo kids lifted me down from the branch. He began to walk me slowly toward the barrier, advising me not to step on my broken leg, which I already knew.

I walked toward the barrier tentatively. I stuck out my hand and began to bring it closer to the greenish wall that separated the camp from the outside. I watched in awe as my hand slipped right through it—like a sliver knife through butter.

Before I knew it, I was on the other side. Everyone was silent, like this was a big feat or something. Then, they all burst into whispers, asking and wondering aloud about which god or goddess was my godly parent. The Apollo kids took me to the infirmary to give me some nectar—which tasted like a caramel cappuccino if you were wondering.

But, through all of this, all I could continue to think was that this was seriously real.

_I _was a freaking demigod. This wasn't a book anymore.

This was _life. _

**Thanks for favoriting or liking the story. Hope you enjoy further chapters! Review!**


	3. Capture The Flag Ends Rather Badly

I sat on an infirmary bed, my leg propped up on a fluffy pillow. I had my nose in a book—even when I was in pain. I was reading Daniel X, thinking about if aliens were real since demigods were. I hoped they all looked like Daniel or Number Four—they were maybe the hottest aliens ever.

I was right at the part where Daniel was getting ready to fight Ergent Seth, when four demigods entered the room. Annabeth walked over as she asked, "How do you feel?"

I shrugged, too busy with my book to look up. Nico, Thalia and Percy followed Annabeth in, and began to take seats in the five gray plastic seats. Nico asked me, "Why do you read so much?"

I dropped my book on my lap and stared at him. "Why do you ask such stupid questions?"

He just kind of sat there for a bit, while everyone else cracked up. His eyes widened, "I don't ask stupid questions!"

"You used to," Percy commented before Nico shot him a death glare.

I smiled, turning back to my book. Nico came over and glanced at it. "Ugh, gross. Why is that guy running around in his head?"

"_That guy,_" I told him, "is the freaking best Alien Hunter who can create things with his mind. What can you do? Oh, right—shadow travel, ask stupid questions and piss me off. Now, please. Sit back down."

"Jeez," Nico muttered, taking a seat beside Percy. He mumbled to him, "Is it that time of month?"

"What!" I shouted, chucking my book at his head. "If my leg wasn't mending, I would so kick your ass for saying that!"

Thalia turned to her younger-older cousin, letting her hand crackle with blue electricity, as she said, "No problem, Kayla. I can kick his ass for you. Wait till Clarisse hears about his snide little comment!"

One of the Apollo medics rushed in. "Hey! We are _not _kicking anyone's asses until Friday!"

I groaned; I thought about Capture the Flag. I most certainly didn't want to go and participate in a fight. I hated playing simple games like Silent Ball, because I got hit in the head and I wasn't competitive at all. How would I survive a game with swords and shields and children of war?

Nico laughed at the face I made. "What, you don't _like _Capture-the-Flag?"

I glared at him. "Not the way you guys play. I really don't want to meet some hellhound like Percy did his first time."

Percy shuddered. "Gods, I hated that day. The only good thing from almost getting mauled was the fact that I got to go on my quest with Annabeth and Grover."

I glanced everyone over, as I said, "See? That is why I don't want to play—"

"—Capture the Flag. Just capture the freaking flag," I mumbled to myself, trying to steady my jumping nerves and heavy leather armor. I pulled my helmet onto my head, forcing my caramel hair to become flat. I picked up the sword that Chiron had given me, complete with a leather grip and wicked sharp edges that could probably pierce through anything.

Percy walked over to come into line beside me. "Hey, sport," he laughed at his new nickname for me, since it was pretty ironic.

"What?" I asked, struggling to buckle my breastplate into place. He smiled as he buckled it for me.

"Be careful out there, okay? This is your very first Capture the Flag… and that won't stop Clarisse or her siblings from creaming you," Percy advised.

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to end up like you," I laughed. "A seaweed brain."

He rolled his eyes. "You know what? You knowing about my life from a bunch of books really sucks." When he said this, he still smiled as he walked away, wishing me good luck and all that.

I found my way to the creek where Percy had stayed his very first time. A large gray rock sat in the middle of it, and I took a seat on it, watching the silver moon-reflected water slosh over my converse tips. I stared at my reflection in the water, watching how it contorted my appearance slightly. My helmet shadowed my face and my hair glowed in the silver light of Artemis' moonlight. Suddenly, my eyes darted to my shoulder.

There was something there. A growing shadow, that grew long finger-like claws that stretched until they hovered over my shoulders. I waited until the last moment before I leapt from my seat on the rock and swiped my sword by the shadow's feet.

A familiar voice shouted, "Hey! Watch it!" Nico appeared, holding onto his bare legs to hold in the blood. He smiled sheepishly, "Um, surprise?"

"Don't sneak up on me like that," I told him, perching once again on my rock. He took a seat beside me, pulling out his own black knife from its sheath.

I could hear the sounds of swords clanging and people shouting from a little bit away. Suddenly, the Ares campers appeared.

One of them, a guy named Mark, stepped forward. "There's the flag! But—look! What do we have here? Mr. Emo and Ms. Bookworm! Well, this should be fun, huh guys?"

I glared at them, realizing what they were doing. I'd seen it a lot at school, when a bully would torment a kid with words to intimidate them to make the first move. Nico shouted, "I'm not emo! Gods, I'm Goth! Look it up in the freaking dictionary—oh, wait, you're dyslectic!"

I thought his comeback was pretty clever, but I didn't say so, because the Ares kids were advancing feverishly fast. One of them, a thin girl with shaggy black hair and dark blue eyes, shouted angrily, "When we get through with you two, you'll be a blood smear in this entire damn forest!"

They rushed forward, swiping their swords. I lifted mine as I deflected one of the kids' swings. I leapt forward, landing on the grass, as I swung my sword and connected with the black-haired girl's side. It dug through her breastplate, causing her to shriek like I was murdering her when clearly I was just causing slight damage to her mid-section. Nico was preoccupied with Mark, who was trying to swipe at some shadows.

Another Ares camper jumped me from behind, digging their sword into my breastplate, but not enough to reach the skin. I grabbed the guy's helmet in my hands and slammed it against my shield. I picked him up, as he slumped down, and placed him on the grass. We didn't need anybody drowning.

Suddenly, I heard Nico cry out in pain. I turned just in time to watch Mark slam his helmet against his forehead, knocking him unconscious and shoving him into the creek. When Nico's head went under water, I tried to leap in to grab him, but Mark stopped me.

"Now, let me understand this," he replied snidely. "You like an emo-kid, but not someone like me?"

_This is what this is about? _I wanted to scream. _You practically killed him, you asshole! And he will die, if you don't move your lazy ass out of the damn way!_

I glared at him, as I lifted my sword, slashing and bashing him with it until he was thrown a few inches away, trying to regain his wits. I snarled, "He isn't emo. He's Goth," before I jumped into the creek, leaving my sword on the creek's edge.

I grabbed Nico by his jacket's collar, pulling him into my arms as I kicked upward to the air. Our heads reached the water when Mark barked, "Now!" A torrent of arrows and swords cut me as I pulled Nico onto the shore, feeling renewed power surging through my veins. I grabbed a stray sword, and leapt at Mark, cutting his sword arm open as he cried out, dropping his sword with a loud clank.

Five other Ares campers stood, shell-shocked. Clarisse rushed over along with Chris, who was as pale as a ghost. I watched Percy and Annabeth parade over with their flag, but they stopped and practically dropped it on the ground when they saw me.

I looked down at my bloody dry clothes. All of my cuts were disappearing just like Percy's. Chiron suddenly appeared, rushing over to Nico.

"What happened?" he asked, worriedly. I shouldered Nico's unconscious form, as Mark grumbled under his breath, "They started it."

I glared at him. "No freaking way!" I shouted at him.

Chiron gingerly took Nico from my arms, but then his eyes darted to somewhere behind me. "What the—?" he started, but then a blinding flash of light exploded behind me.

I turned, wide-eyed and freaked out, to face an Iris-Message straight from Olympus. All of the gods sat in their thrones, including Hades and Mr. D. Poseidon smiled fondly at me, and then it struck me like an electric jolt—he was my godly parent. I would've thought that with my luck I would've been some minor god or goddess's kid… but 'Big Three' material? Whoa.

Zeus stood from his throne, as he said in a voice that boomed through the woods like his thunder, "Kayla West, daughter of Poseidon, child of the gods, step forward please."

I just stood there, gaping. And then, I cracked a smile. "Child of the gods, huh?" I asked, grinning.

Percy walked up, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I thought you were a little like me," he laughed. "But hey—don't get a big head."

"Don't worry, Perce. That's your job," I smiled, looking up to his face.

He grinned. "You know what? I always wanted a little sister."

"Little?" I asked, slightly offended. "I'm _fifteen, _thank you very much. Don't kill yourself, alright?"

"I try my best," he laughed, patting me on the back, signaling me to go on.

I waved to everyone as I stepped right through the mist of the IM.

All of the gods and goddesses shared a type of freaked out expression. I probably didn't look any better. I glanced at Aphrodite's mirror. I caught the eye of a girl that looked nothing like me. There was something about the girl in the glass—a fearless sort of vibe, maybe. My hair was knotted and tangled (so much for it staying flat), my body was completely dry and not crazily maimed… but the one thing that scared me the most was the fact that I was glowing from the inside-out. As if a mini sun had replaced my heart.

All the gods were silent, which surprised me. I thought Apollo or Hermes would crack a joke or something, but they didn't. They seemed to be restraining themselves so they wouldn't say anything equally stupid.

Aphrodite broke the silence. "So, Kayla, sweetie. You're here to figure out who your lover is. Doesn't that sound fun?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Lover? Gross. I'm fifteen… I really don't need a … lover."

Aphrodite laughed, "Fine, dear, I'll humor you. Your uncles have assigned you a few young men to choose from—but if you could, would you choose Artemis and her Hunters?"

I was about to say something like 'well, yeah!' but her laugh cut me off. "Kayla, don't be silly! That wasn't an _actual _choice! Hmm, no let's see…" A pink laptop appeared on her lap as she began to scroll around on it with the mini pink mouse. She clicked a few times, and then placed a flash drive into the laptop. She looked up and a large computer screen (out of mist) appeared in front of all of us. Boys ages fifteen and up appeared on the screen and my eyes goggled.

Aphrodite smiled as she enlarged a photo of a dark haired kid with dark brown eyes. "How about him?" she mused.

I shook my head. She continued to scroll and landed on Nico.

I blushed and she smiled. "How about—?"

Hades shouted, "No! Keep scrolling!" Persephone, who sat between him and her mother, slapped his head. "Husband, your son is old enough to date!" she argued. Hades just grumbled about it to himself.

Aphrodite clicked to another page. The picture of a tan guy with spiked sandy blonde hair and radiant blue eyes appeared. He wore a white tank top like the ones those beach-boys wear. I practically shouted, "Oh! How about him?"

Aphrodite's face took an uneasy appearance. "Um… How about not?" she asked, as the gods fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Why?" I asked. "He's cute."

Athena told me, "It would not be wise to think only about looks."

"Fine. So, tell me, what's this kid's story?"

Apollo spoke up, "He's at a military camp somewhere, someplace. His name is Aaron Striker. He's been at the camp for what? Seven years? Ever since he was nine."

Hermes continued, "He's my son. His mother and younger sister were killed by Gaea's forces, causing him to become one of their … brainwashed kids."

But, uh, thanks! He does have my looks!"

My dad said, "Kayla… There's got to be someone else you like."

I turned to meet my dad's sad emerald gaze. "Why are you all so _against _him? He's just a kid, right?"

"A kid whose fate is already chosen for him," Apollo spoke. "And trust me—since I don't lie—it's not pretty."

I stared at the kid's face. "I want to help him," I said loudly, defiantly.

"What?" All the gods and goddesses asked, as if they hadn't heard me right.

"I want to help him. He's about my age. I bet there are younger kids at that military camp. I want to try my best to get them out of there alive," I turned to face them. "Isn't that what a hero would do?"

Apollo stared at me, his eyes wide. "If you go out there—you'll change your fate dramatically."

"Well," I told him. "Tell your little Fate buddies that I'm their main course of action." I turned to my dad, to meet his melancholy expression.

"There isn't any way I can stop you, huh?" he asked.

I smiled. "You said so yourself: 'The sea doesn't like to be restrained.'"

That made him crack a small smile. He shrunk to human-size and gave me a hug. "Stay safe. The camp and us will be watching you over Hephaestus TV. Just… be extremely careful. And, I have a present for you." He pulled out a thin golden blue-inked fine-tipped ballpoint pen and handed it to me.

"Awesome! This one is _so _much cooler than Percy's! Look at that! Blue ink! He's going to be so jealous!" I cheered, clicking the ballpoint.

It materized into a sword and I read some Greek writing on the side of it. "Pearl?" I asked.

"Yeah," Poseidon smiled. "Made right in the Pacific ocean, just for you."

Aphrodite stepped forward and handed me a locket. Inside, was a picture of Nico. I blushed a deep pink. She smiled, "Don't forget your mortal points, Kayla. They're what ground you to the world."

Apollo tossed me a shiny gold medallion. "That's from the rest of us. Use in times of desperate need."

I smiled, as I turned to Hermes. "I'm ready to leave," I told him as he nodded.

I disappeared in a flash of mist.

And… cut! That's a wrap!

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing, favoriting, etc. You're all the reason I write! I love you all in not-creepy kind of way! Whoa, why do I have so many exclamion points? **

**I DON'T KNOW! (I'm sorry if my outburst scared the children…)**

**Now, to express my happiness, I will reward each of you with these cute little 'Join The Darkside, We Have Cookies' buttons. But, if you don't think cookies are you're best bet, I'll tell you now—the Goodside has these stupid buttons that are all white and frilly that say something stupid like 'Join the Goodside, We Have The Best GPA!' or 'Join The Goodside, We Have Percy Jackson!' Well, you know what's better than Percy Jackson, people? 'Join The Darkside, We Have Percy Jackson Held Captive!' buttons! **

**Okay… That was really awkward. Sorry, that was my crazy mind speaking out again—No, Mind, I will _not _talk to you right now! Go bother someone else! I'm going to look crazy talking to you! Mind! Shut the _Hades _up!**

**Aw, look at that. I just made my mind cry. Now I feel bad. I better go apologize… **

**Review please! Not about my mind, please. I have enough therapists and counselors breaking down my door for that. **


	4. Pandora's Gifts

The next second and I was standing smack-dab in the middle of the military camp in one of the many bedrooms. Two bunks lay on either side of the room, decorated with tiny little stickers and cheesy sayings about life. I looked over to the girl's side, which was decorated with hearts and rainbows and other things that would've made me barf.

I picked up a backpack that lay on its side beside me. I read a tiny little card that read in Hermes' fancy handwriting _Have fun at the camp! Here's some things you might need._

I opened it up. A few toiletries were stuffed at the bottom, while a few letters from the campers were stacked on top of them. I dug out my iPodTouch and charger along with my earphones. Yes! Dang, Hermes thought of everything! Drachmas and regular mortal cash were stuffed in tiny silk pockets. I pulled out a few books and notebooks (which I wrote in constantly at home). I opened a page to find Athena's writing:

_Kayla,_

_I thought you'd need these to sort out your emotions at times. Continue to read and write. I'll read them to the gods occasionally. Make sure it's something … mildly appropriate. Remember, Hermes and Apollo are still here, and their childish behavior only makes our jobs harder._

_With hope in you,_

_Athena_

I smiled, as I started to shove my stuff into the drawers, as I popped my earphones into my ears, blaring the music loudly as I cleaned around.

Someone's voice stopped me. "Um, are you our new roommate? The Greek?"

I turned around to come face-to-face with Aaron and two other kids. One guy had curly brown hair and elfish features, but by his tan skin, he looked more like Leo Valdez than any Hermes campers. The girl had long strawberry blonde hair and bright green eyes. She wore a pretty little camouflage dress, which changed colors when she moved, as if the light were swirling up the greens like watercolors.

"Yeah," I said, taking out an earphone. "I guess." I gave them a smile, as I told them, "I'm Kayla. Kayla West."

"The Pandorian?" Leo-look-alike asked, his brown eyes wide. His voice became hushed, "Damn. How'd you get all the way over here?"

"What?" I asked, playing dumb, which seemed to work.

Aaron smacked the guy against the head. Then he shot me an apologetic smile, "Sorry. Lucas doesn't know how to shut his mouth. I'm Aaron," we shook hands and I could almost feel the stinging shock as our hands connected. We smiled sheepishly, letting our hands drop by our sides.

The girl in the camo dress smiled. "I'm Lindsey! We are going to _best friends, _Kayla! C'mere, lemme show you my stuff!" Lindsey said enthusiastically. She seemed to be no older than eleven, as she grabbed my hand and escorted me toward our bunks. She pulled out a few picture books, Barbie dolls and frames of a family of five.

Lucas and Aaron began to have a heated discussion by their own bunk. I couldn't catch any of it, but I could tell it was about me.

Lindsey began to show me the picture of the family. She pointed to the parents. "That's my mom and dad," she told me. She pointed to the tall guy sitting cross-legged beside her parents. In his lap, sat a little girl with high pigtails. "That's my older brother, Nathan. I'm the little kid in his lap. The baby my mom's holding? My baby sister Jules."

She grabbed a book from a table and handed it to me. "Can you read this to me?" she asked. I shrugged, taking it from her tiny hands.

It was a Dr. Seuss book. The Lorax. I remembered it from when I was kid. My parents would read it to me. It was basically about how pollution was ruining our planet, and if we didn't quit—there'd be nothing left to pollute. It made me think of Grover, of all the little satyrs and fauns who tried to stop us from ruining our planet. Maybe Dr. Seuss was like one of us. A half-blood, trying to use his words to make us see sense.

I read the book silently to Lindsey, who was giggling at the pictures and pointing at the bears with a look of pure joy. Lucas and Aaron walked over and listened to me read aloud. Lindsey had fallen asleep, so I picked her up and placed her under the covers.

Lucas asked, "I thought you were a half-blood. Doesn't that make you dyslectic?"

I shook my head. "No. All I've got is ADHD."

Aaron furrowed his brow. "How's that possible? Every warrior here who has _any _godly heritage has both of the symptoms… Unless…"

"Unless what?" I asked, as the guys shared an uneasy glance.

"Nothing," Aaron said quickly, dismissing the idea with a shake of his head. "Honestly, it's just an idea."

"Well, I want to hear," I insisted, staring at them both with big puppy-dog eyes, waiting for one of them to crack.

Lucas didn't look at Aaron as he whispered, "Gaea. She … cursed you."

Aaron leapt up, clamping his hand over Lucas's mouth. He glared at him angrily, and then turned to me. "Nothing," he growled under his breath, dragging Lucas out of the room into the bathroom where he shouted at him.

I walked over, placing my ear to the door. "Lucas!" Aaron hissed. "What are you trying to do? Get us killed?"

"No! But, she deserves to know what is going to happen!" Lucas shouted back.

"If we even _hint _about the future to her, we'll be burned alive! You know Gaea will stop at nothing to keep the truth from her!" Aaron growled, but his voice softened. "She's the Pandorian, Luke. We can't stop her fate, no matter how much we want to. She just needs to remember the myth and her mortal point. We can't ruin her chances."

"I know we can't. But we should at least try to prepare for the war that will be caused afterwards!"

_War? _I thought. _What's so special about me? I'm just a kid!_

Aaron sighed. "The war … isn't happening _now. _It's just a dumb prophecy."

Lucas's voice sounded shrill. "Aaron! Don't say that! They might hear you!"

"Who? The walls?" Aaron barked snidely. "If they hear—let them come! Let them take me away and torture me! They already killed my mother and sister! The least they could do is finish me off!"

My heart practically stopped beating. _They might hear you! Who? The walls? _What was that all about?

Lucas whispered, "Aaron, stop! Don't say anything you'll regret! We don't want to alert the Council!"

"Who cares about the damn Council? The worst they could do is put me in the front of the war formation! Sure, I'll probably get shot down first by the Greeks and Romans… but death's escape is better than staying here forever, in a dumb-ass camp for brainwashed kids who are on tumbling toward their deaths," Aaron snarled under his breath.

"You put a lot of thought into that, didn't you?" Lucas asked.

"That's what happens when you've been here as long as I have," Aaron told him.

I stood up, and slowly walked toward the bunk I shared with Lindsey. I slipped under the covers, letting my head fall against the pillow. My eyes closed and I began to dream.

_I stood in the middle of a cave. Its walls grew taller than the eye could see, making it seem like a temple instead of a cave in the side of a mountain. The cave ceiling was missing, so you could only see the brilliant white specks of stars and the endless canvas of black sky. I walked into the center of the cave, taking in my surroundings. A giant reflecting pool slanted moonlight so that it bounced off the walls. In the center of the pool stood a single gray rock the size of a boulder. _

_On top of the rock sat a woman clad in earthen robes crafted of dirt, weeds and cracked dried mud. Her brown hair was streaked with wet red clay. Her face was streaked with red and black clay, which resembled war paint. Her hazel eyes were almost fully open. Her voice was somewhat hoarse, yet had a motherly tinge, as she said, "Pandorian. Step forward into the water."_

_I took three steps, until my toes were submerged in the clear aquamarine water. The woman smiled, as she said, "Yes. Your power illuminates greater than the Sun. Now, child, why must you be torn between two worlds?"_

_I tried to find my voice, but for some odd reason, I couldn't speak. _

_The woman laughed. "Dear, don't try to speak. It's as useless as this war that our foolish relatives wish to win."_

_I stared at her, as she smiled. "Do you know of your myth, dear? Of the prophecy that young Lucas mentioned?"_

_I stared at her in disbelief. "The walls have ears and eyes, dear. They know more than we do of the world, because they have seen and heard and felt it all. Almost as long as the earth and sky have been here."_

_Gaea. That's who it was._

_I stared at her. "My myth?" I thought in my mind._

"_Yes. Your myth, Pandorian."_

_Pandorian. Why did people keep calling me that?_

_Wait. Pandorian. What was the name consisting of? A name?_

_Pandora. That's who it was! _

_She was the very first woman, created by the gods. Each god and goddess gave her gifts… and something about a box that she opened that let out the horrors of the world… but then, once she closed it, Hope escaped as well. _

"_Correct, dear! No wonder the gods gave you the gifts!" Gaea gushed, as she smiled sincerely. She whispered under her breath, "The greatest weapon against them for ruining…"_

_Suddenly, lightning clashed above our heads. Gaea laughed, as if this amused her. "What, Son? Are you angry that now I have your secret weapon? You should be!" She cackled manically. "Have fun living the rest of your life down in that pit!"_

_Her cackles grew fainter and fainter as the image of the dream began to blur into blackness._

**Thanks for all of the reviews! I'm thinking the next chapter will be about the gods watching what has just happened on Hephaestus TV, since her life at the military camp is being seen as a sort of MTV for the gods and demigods… Tell me how you like that idea.**

**Review please! **


	5. A Godly Meeting

**Poseidon's POV:**

I sat in my designated throne, staring at my glowing trident, as it swirled with electric green light. Zeus sat on my left, thumbing his lightning bolt between his large hands. Hades was fiddling with his helm, placing it on his head to disappear and reappear while he fingered a switch to change its forms.

The rest of the gods were almost as restless. Aphrodite was cooing over a white toy poodle in a pink handbag, while Hermes was taking calls on his cell phone. Apollo and Artemis were absentmindedly shooting arrows at each other. Ares was sharpening his brand-new spear while Hephaestus was trying out one of his newest robotic creations. Dionysus was passed out on his throne, a newspaper tent perched over his face. Hera was chatting with Hestia near the hearth, but it was hasty chatter, probably about the newest prophecy that had been bugging us for centuries. Athena didn't even have the might to nag my ear off, which was good, since I was _so _not in the mood. My daughter, whom I'd just claimed, was now our newest spy against Gaea and everyone knew how unsafe it was. If anyone pissed me off, I was sending a hurricane and earthquake down beside New York.

Suddenly, a huge plasma screen materialized in front of everyone. Twenty-four pairs of eyes (because my dear nephew was still happily passed out) flinted toward the screen. An X made of fiery axes appeared on the black screen, then disappeared in a blinding flash. A man's voice spoke, "Kayla West is officially at the enemy camp. Would you wish to proceed?"

Zeus said, "Yes." In response to my brother's voice, the screen opened up to reveal Kayla's face. She was standing in the middle of a bedroom, where she met her roommates. The two guys were acting crazier than the men inflicted by Dionysus's happy juice. When Kayla fell asleep, I knew this would not be good.

Suddenly, we were watching her dream play out before us. A woman sat on a gray rock in the middle of a reflecting pool. All of us gasped.

"Grandmother…" My siblings and I growled under our breath.

Zeus glared at the screen. "Where is your spawn, Poseidon, having dreams about Gaea?"

"Well, maybe," I muttered, "it's because she is our Pandorian but _you _sent her behind enemy lines. You know Grandmother is corrupting those kids! So, what do you do? Let my daughter slip out of our grasps and meet up with the forsaken Mother Earth!"

"Now, now, Poseidon," Hera tried to chide me. "We'll keep her safe. If we can't—her gifts should."

Aphrodite nodded. "Yeah! I mean, with my gift, she should be able to be pretty … seductive." Aphrodite giggled at the thought.

Apollo smiled. "She probably got my awesomeness, Uncle! Oh, and, I guess my singing qualities."

Hermes grinned. "She must've gotten my charm. Wait—Uncle, wouldn't it be awesome if she were a thief?"

Poseidon scowled at Hermes. "Nephew, were you dropped repeatedly on your head when you were a baby?"

Hermes shrugged, turning to look at Hephaestus. "Well, Heph was thrown off Olympus by Hera."

Hephaestus grimaced, as if remembering that day. "Hermes, don't even remind me."

The screen blanked off. Everyone was silent. Suddenly, an IM burst into mist in front of us. Nico di Angelo, my nephew, appeared. He looked at all of us, suddenly nervous. "Um…"

"Yes, son?" Hades asked.

"We just watched the video. Is she… um… okay?"

"Who?" Aphrodite cooed. "Kayla? Aw! Nico, are you in _love _with her?"

"No!" Nico's face turned a violent shade of crimson. "I'm not!"

"Aw! You are!" Aphrodite gushed.

"No, he isn't!" Hades and I shouted at the same time. That was probably the first time we'd agreed in centuries.

Nico looked away, causing Aphrodite to shriek, "Poseidon and Hades! Stop embarrassing the poor kid!"

Artemis slung her bow from she shoulder, slipping a razor-sharp arrow against the slender silver string. "_I _think Kayla would be an excellent addition to the Hunters."

"Nobody asked you!" Aphrodite huffed.

Artemis shot Aphrodite a glare. "Well, Aphrodite, love is _overrated!_"

"What! You did _not _just say that!" Aphrodite shouted, standing up from her powdery pink throne. She clenched her manicured hands into fists, shouting, "I'm ready to rumble! Somebody hold my earrings!"

My nephews were stifling laughter, watching Aphrodite and Artemis get ready to fight. Ares shouted, "Hell yeah, Aphrodite!" Hephaestus frowned, narrowing his eyes. Hermes and Apollo chorused laughter, trying hard not to crumple to the ground in hysterical fits. Dionysus was just waking up, rubbing his watery eyes.

Nico stood in the mist orb, looking uncomfortable. He looked around, as he asked, "Is she okay—"

Aphrodite and Artemis clashed, sending pink and silver sparks to smack against the throne room's marble columns. In a puff of smoke, my nieces emerged, but they didn't look the same. Aphrodite was wearing a silver tank top and black jeans, along with white boots. A bow was slung around her shoulder. Artemis wore a pink cocktail dress, with glittery sequins and sparkles. Her high heels were almost three inches tall and she had Aphrodite's magic scarf wrapped around her neck.

Artemis slowly walked over to Hermes and began to mindlessly flirt with him. Aphrodite rolled her eyes, as she walked over to Artemis's throne and took a seat. She glared at us with her kaleidoscope eyes as she asked, "What? Turn away before I turn you all into wild boars and hunt you down!"

Apollo stared at his sister in pure confusion. "Arty, what are you—?"

She turned to him, her silver eyes growing wide. She smiled, "Hiya, handsome. Wanna buy me a drink?" Apollo stared at his sister as she slowly took a seat on his lap.

Nico shouted, "What the hell is going on?"

Zeus shrugged, staring at his daughters like they'd just fallen out of the sky. Athena muttered, "I think they … switched personalities when they clashed."

Aphrodite nodded. "Seems like it," she told us. "Artemis would never flirt with her brother on purpose—or any man for that matter."

Artemis was trying to force Apollo to kiss him. "This is sexual assault!" He shouted, trying his best to wrestle away from Artemis's face.

Athena thought a moment. "Hermes, call Hecate."

Hermes pulled out his cell phone. "Hey, Hecate," he began. "Yeah, we have a problem. Could you hurry over? No, I don't think it can wait. Look, I don't care if Hogwarts is having a dragon infestation! Artemis is molesting Apollo, and if you don't get here, I'm going to have a new niece or nephew!"

Hecate appeared in a flash of golden light. She bowed, as she walked over to Artemis and Apollo. "Did they clash?" She asked, eyeing Aphrodite.

Athena nodded. "Can you fix it?"

"There's nothing a little magic can't fix," Hecate says, snapping her fingers, causing golden sparks to grow into a golden orb which enveloped a flirting Artemis and glaring Aphrodite. Suddenly, their faces recoiled, as if they'd just realized what was going on.

Aphrodite gagged at her clothes. "What happened? Why do I look like Artemis?" she whined, close to tears as she numbly rubbed the fabric between her pink-nailed fingers.

Artemis leapt from Apollo's lap. "Gross!" she screamed. "Ugh, now I'm going to have to redeem myself!" She stalked away, grumbling to herself about how stupid love was.

Hecate asked, "So, am I done here? I've got to save some young warlocks and witches from getting eaten by dragons." While she said this, she shot Hermes a dirty look, which caused him to look away.

Nico asked, "Did I really just see all of that?"

We looked up to stare at him. Hades glanced at his son. "Yeah, you did. Don't you just love your family?"

"Also, my daughter's fine," I insisted. "But, _you _are going to stay away from her. Understood?" Nico nodded as he gulped.

Zeus stood up, clapping his hands together. "That's enough excitement for one night! Everyone, go ahead to your assigned rooms. We'll watch more tomorrow."

Dionysus stood up from his throne, groggily. "Apollo, if I were you I'd get a restraining order against your love-dosed twin!"

Apollo glared at him, as he stood up. Dionysus shuffled out of the room, not looking back over his shoulder. We all began to file out, going to our rooms.

I locked the door behind me, as I landed heavily against my mattress. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep. Yes, even gods get sleep-deprived at times.

**Thanks for reading! Review, please. (Hope you liked the personality change between Artemis and Aphrodite! I'm almost finished with Mockingjay… And, if you guys want, I could post the idea and a sneak peek of a Hunger Games story I would love to post!)**


	6. Kisses By the Water

**Kayla's POV:**

I woke up the next morning, rubbing my eyes sleepily. Aaron leapt from his bunk, as he shouted, "Wake up, sleeping beauty! We need to head out and train!"

"Why?" I grumbled, flipping over on the top bunk to slam my face into my pillow.

"Because, if we don't, you'd better say goodbye to your food privileges."

That got me to open my eyes. "They can't take food away."

"Sure they can," Aaron said. "They could take your breakfast, lunch and dinner and give it some less fortunate warrior."

I dragged myself from the bunk and glared at him. He picked through a pile of clothes on the floor and handed me a camouflage long-sleeved shirt and black sleek leggings. He smiled at me and replied teasingly, "Hope you brought your other necessities. The Council doesn't hand out bras or underwear. Or, you know, you could just go—"

I punched him in the shoulder, yanking the clothes from his grip. "Where do I change?"

"In the room," he said, as if this were obvious.

"Don't you guys have bathrooms?" I asked.

"Unless you call the forest or ocean your toilet."

I wrinkled my nose, disgusted. "So, I'm supposed to get dressed in here?"

"Yeah. But, if I were you, I'd stay away from the windows. We have enough peeping Toms and perverts to last five lifetimes." He left the room, closing the door behind him.

I picked up an old bed sheet, and hung it over my head with some knives that had been lying around. I stepped under it, and changed out of my old clothes into the camouflage ones.

I stepped out, pulling some soft boots over my bare feet. I was about to leave the room, when I caught my eye in a mirror. My golden-brown hair was tangled and the make-up I'd worn yesterday was smudged. My hazel eyes were the only things unchanged: bright and determined.

I opened the door to come face-to-face with Aaron. He handed me some armor to try on, which I struggled to buckle like on my first Capture the Flag. He buckled it for me, as he handed me a sword. I shook my head, pulling my pen from my boot. I clicked it, and it exploded into a gleaming bronze sword.

He didn't seem impressed. He just shrugged, as if it were nothing special. I got the feeling this guy was acting careless to piss me off, and guess what? It was working.

He turned on his heel and we began to walk to this makeshift arena. It was basically a huge baseball-like diamond filled with peach sand. Straw dummies wearing Greek and Roman armor were already getting slathered. More dummies dressed in Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter shirts squirted fake blood every time someone hit a major body part. Kids with shields deflected gold and blue magic as it bounced from the dummies wearing silk cloaks—they must've been the magicians from the Kane Chronicles.

I stared at the monstrosity from a distance. "Let me guess—you guys don't like demigods?"

He shook his head. "They're against us. The gods have killed more than a thousand kids this year—some of them were even their very own children. They don't care about their kids, anymore. A few of us converted over to Gaea after Kronos was locked away in the Underworld. She's treated us well. We get three meals a day, a shelter to sleep in, an unlimited water supply." He glanced at me as we walked. "Which reminds me—you need to come see the watering hole before we get ready to parry."

He walked me toward a green glade full of leathery vines and twisted trees. He tossed a curtain of green over his shoulder, to give me a view of a huge crater of turquoise water. "Is it spring-fed?" I asked.

"Yeah. Behind it is this huge waterfall and cave. Rumor has it, there's treasure somewhere at the bottom. Nobody's been able to withstand the pressure, so we haven't found the treasure," Aaron told me. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to find the treasure—it was probably driving the thief-at-heart crazy.

He walked me to the very edge of the stream. He pulled some plastic water bottles from his side-pack and handed me one. I dipped the bottle into the water and let it fill up. Then, I brought it to my lips.

I practically gagged. I did a spit-take, spewing Aaron with water. He looked up, bewildered. "What was that all about?" He complained, wiping water from his clothes and hair.

It tasted horrible, as if it were contaminated. I could taste different chemicals—ones that could _not _be healthy for anyone, not even an immortal god or goddess. I stared at the unnatural turquoise water. Something was wrong with it. "What's in this stuff?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Aaron asked, watching me weirdly. He took a long swig, a gulp, then turned to me. "It's perfectly fine."

I wrinkled my face in disgust. "Stop drinking it!" I swatted it from his hand.

"Hey!" He protested, leaping to grab the bottle. Before he could reach, it dipped into the water, and suddenly, the plastic started to melt on contact. It was as if it were acid, devouring the cold plastic in a single splash of water.

Aaron's arm landed in the water before I could stop him. Suddenly, he cried out. His forearm was scalding, red and raw and bleeding into the blue water that licked up the new red dye. I yanked him backward, turning him toward me. I examined the wound closer, and let my ear hover above it.

_Ssssiizzzllee! Ssssiizzzllee! _

He winced. I thought for a moment. Would praying do any good? I thought it was my best bet.

_Apollo, could you lend a hand? Give me some awesome healing power?_

I let the message hang in the air. No answer.

But, suddenly, I glanced at his wound, and couldn't bear for him to suffer anymore. I felt a tug in my stomach, and when I looked up, I couldn't believe my eyes. There, nearly five feet above the ground, was a floating serpent-like pool of water that snaked its way through the sky, and landed slowly onto Aaron's wounded arm. By the look on his face, it seemed to relax him and bring him calm.

I watched his arm regain its tan color. He poked it tentatively, and then held his arm against his chest protectively. He stared at me, "How the hell did you do that?

"Honestly? I seriously _do not _know." I told him, watching steam curl off the water like curved fingers.

"Why was the water so hot?" Aaron asked.

"The stream could be connected to a volcano," I told him, watching the water intensely. I closed my eyes, envisioning the waterfall behind the mountain. I could see the clear water pooling into a deep cavern. Underneath the curtain of water was a secret cave. In the water, right at the bottom, was the entrance to an underwater air bubble. It opened up into a large expanse of rock and glittery gold coins. Piles of the stuff were up against the walls, rubies and sapphires glinting in the blue-reflected light. A large treasure chest the size of a plasma screen was drowning in golden coins. A skeleton of a kid my age was backed up against it, his bony forearms jutting out of some scarred leather armor.

I opened my eyes before I could take in all of the details. Aaron scowled at the water. "So, what you're saying, is that a god did this," Aaron gestured to the water with his once-burned arm.

I narrowed my eyes. "No," I growled. "Why would I imply that?"

"Maybe because it's true?" Aaron asked me.

I gave him a steely glare. "If it were the gods, then why would they heal you?"

"That wasn't them," He told me firmly. "It was _you. _And, you know what I'm trying to figure out? How you could be related to any of them. Who's your godly parent?" 

"That's none of your business," I snarled at him.

"Who? Apollo? Hades? Hermes, maybe?" Aaron persisted, getting closer to me so I could feel his chest against mine. "Aphrodite, perhaps?" He whispered into my ear, so I could feel his lips brush against them while he talked.

I stuttered, "Um … I'll give you a hint. You're getting colder."

I could feel his lips curl into a smile. "Oh, so we're playing a game now, are we?"

I bit my lip. This was the closest I'd been to a guy in my life. I'd had a few boyfriends in the past, but I'd never been _this _close. I'd never been able to feel the beating of someone else's heart against my own or felt someone's warm breath send chills down my back. Aaron's blue eyes stared into mine, and if I hadn't been immune to drowning, I would've suffocated and been reduced to a crushed whirlwind of new sediment for the bottom of the blue—if it even had a bottom. His eyes glanced at my lips, and I realized I was staring at his own, his perfectly shaped pink lips.

Before I could react, we were kissing. His hands wrapped around my waist. My arms encircled his neck. Suddenly, the golden heart locket around my neck started to burn. I jumped back from him, yanking the necklace off. It'd left a faint pink heart-shaped burn against my collarbone.

Aaron stared at me. "Whoa. Did I do that?"

I shook my head. "No, you didn't. It just … burned me."

"Seems like something's always burning, nowadays," Aaron told me, trying to cover up some of his worry by giving me a smile. "What do you say to a parrying-date?"

"I've heard weirder," I told him, smiling. He grinned, grabbing my hand and walking me toward the arena. While he wasn't looking, I took a glance at the locket that was clenched in my hand. I'd wrenched the clasp open, to stare at the faces of Nico di Angelo and Aaron Striker. Aaron grinned up at me, while Nico's face mirrored jealousy. Nico was shooting Aaron daggers with his eyes, but all Aaron could do was stare up at me dreamily.

Oh, gods. Love triangles were _not _my thing. I'd learned that from a few books I'd read. Love triangles always ended in heartbreak—and the occasional guilt-trip about how it could never work out for the third-wheel.

I stared at the faces of the two guys that Aphrodite was pairing me up with. I could already see the latest AphroditeKnowsLove Poll: _**Who do you like better? Karon or Nicla? Vote now and watch the Love Goddess work her magic! (BTW, buy some Beautiful Lips from my cosmetics store! It's a choice worthy of the goddesses of Olympus!)**_

**Thanks for reading! Your reviews forced me off my lazy butt to finish it—and I'm glad I did. Now, answer the question that's gnawing on all of our minds—Karon or Nicla? Oh, and did you like Aaron and Kayla's kiss? **

**Review, please!**


	7. Nico Gets Beat Up Emotionaly & Physicaly

**Nico's POV:**

I took a seat beside Percy and Annabeth by the campfire. Percy was visibly freaking out, so I tried to cheer him up. I said, "Percy, the worst that could happen is that she gets, I don't know, pregnant during the war! The gods won't let her have too much fun over at the other camp—and she's only fifteen!" Okay, never send a child of Hades to do a child of Demeter's job. I basically only freaked Percy out more, because he started muttering, "I could be an uncle before I'm even _married_?" Annabeth smacked me against the back of the head. "Way to make things more tense, Death Boy," she mumbled.

I sighed as Annabeth went into full-out girlfriend mode on Percy, promising him really inappropriate things that would make Athena blast him to bits because he was dumbly agreeing to everything.

Suddenly, the crowd of kids hushed down dramatically as a mist-made plasma screen appeared in front of me. I watched the screen start up, gleaming with orange light which exploded into blackness. Kayla appeared and my heart fluttered a bit.

Gross. Did I just say my _heart fluttered_? Don't get the wrong idea, all right? Sure, Kayla was cute and I liked her … that may be the understatement of the year, but overlook it for a few seconds. But … Kayla was basically my _cousin. _Sure, distant cousin, but cousin just the same. It was just gross beyond belief if you thought hard enough about it.

Kayla and that Aaron guy were talking about clothes or something, which made a few of the male campers to wolf-whistle. Percy shot them all death glares, which shut them up right away. You _did not _want to be on the receiving end of one of those—I should know, I got most of them.

After she was done dressing (which disappointed me beyond belief because I couldn't see through the stupid curtain-thing), she walked outside and met up with Aaron. They walked past these things—red dye-soaked straw-dummies filled with fake blood that exploded on impact whenever they were hit with a fatal-looking blow—and everyone at camp shared a shudder. We'd seen the orange and purple t-shirts, and we knew who they were supposed to be. It made me feel queasy enough to puke up my dinner.

When they got to the watering hole, Percy tensed up. "Something's wrong," he said, watching the water intensely.

"Don't strain yourself," I laughed. He shot me a look that said _This is _no _laughing matter. _

He turned back to the screen, appearing to look like a worried older brother—which I guess he was. At the moment, he reminded me of my older sister, Banica, which only made me feel unbearably sad. I looked up to see the screen.

Kayla did a spit-take, dousing Aaron who looked pissed off. "What's _in _this stuff?" she asked, looking sick. "How am I supposed to know?" Aaron asked, taking a long drink of the water. "It's perfectly fine!"

Percy muttered, "Oh, gods. Poor kid. He doesn't even know what it's doing to him…" I glanced at him, wondering if Mr. D had finally taken up his offer on driving my cousin crazy.

"Stop drinking it!" She shouted, swatting it out of his hand. Aaron dove for the water bottle, and I watched in fear as the plastic melted into the waves. Then, Aaron's forearm hit the water with a splash.

He screamed louder than a little girl at a Justin Beiber concert. When I saw his arm, the Aphrodite kids screamed, "EW!" and started crying and wiping their tears with pink-pastel handkerchiefs (except Piper, who just looked really pale.) The kid's arm was beet-red, covered in burnt, raw flesh that would've given even my father the heebie-jeebies.

Kayla's face turned distressed as she looked over the open wound. I could tell she was praying to someone, just by the look in her eyes. Then, she gasped. Everyone's eyes watched an eel of turquoise water slither through the air and land gently on Aaron's arm.

Aaron's forearm grew tan, again. He sighed in relief, holding onto it with his free hand. He looked up to Kayla. "How the hell did you do that?"

"Honestly? I seriously _do not _know."

"Why was the water so hot?" He pestered.

"Might be connected to a volcano," Kayla suggested. Leo, who'd been quiet from his post beside Jason, hollered, "Yeah! Volcanoes!"

"Shut up!" Mark shouted at him from the Ares side. He noticed me looking at him, so he gave me a nasty scowl.

"So," Aaron interrupted the angry demigods' outbursts, "what you're saying, is that a god did this." He gestured to the water with his once-burned arm.

"No. Why would I imply that?" she snarled through clenched teeth, glaring at him.

"Maybe because it's true?" Aaron asked. Everyone erupted like an actual volcano, blowing its top to smithereens, "WHAT!"

"If it were the gods, then why would they heal you?" Kayla asked, dangerously.

"That wasn't them. That was _you. _And, you know what I'm trying to figure out? How you could be related to any of them. Who's your godly parent?" Aaron told her.

"None of your business," Kayla replied snidely.

"Who? Apollo?" I cringed at the thought of her being one of the sun gods' daughters. "Hades?" I made a gagging motion—her being my sister would ruin what I thought of her. "Hermes?" Oh, and her being a thief? It'd be like asking Thalia to jump off a cliff. "Aphrodite, perhaps?" I froze, watching him move closer to her, letting his lips brush against her ear.

Kayla's eyes widened. "Um… I'll give you a hint. You're getting colder," she stuttered.

"Oh, so we're playing a game now, are we?" Aaron asked.

She bit her lip. They shared this glance—like they were the only two damn people in the world—and I felt my stomach twist into a complicated shoe-lace tie, knotting itself over and over like the thin chain of some forgotten necklace tucked away in a jewelry box. They stared at each other's lips—and I knew right away where this was going.

Their lips met and I felt my heart crumble into about a trillion shards of jagged pink glass. I watched his arms wrap around Kayla's waist, her arms encircle his neck, almost as if they were kissing in the rain in some cheesy movie. But, no—this was worse than a movie. This had happened, not even twenty minutes ago.

I watched the golden heart locket on her neck glow a blinding gold. Suddenly, she leapt backwards, letting go of Aaron's neck, which got me to grin stupidly—until I saw her face as she wretched the locket from her throat. A deep, pink imprint of the heart was on her collarbone, and it looked like it hurt.

"Whoa. Did I do that?" Aaron asked, shocked.

"No. You didn't," she assured. "It just … burned me."

"Seems like everything's burning, nowadays," Aaron laughed. "What do you say to a parrying date?"

I felt a growl escape my throat. "I've heard weirder," she smiled, as he grabbed her hand and they began to walk away.

Before the screen turned off, we caught a glimpse of the inside of the locket—a photo of me, jealousy smeared over my face like jam on toasted bread, and a photo of a grinning Aaron Striker, who looked genuinely happy, while I officially felt like three-day old dog shit on the sidewalk that someone had just, unfortunately, stepped the heel of their expensive Air Jordans into.

The screen blanked off, and everyone began to file back to his or her cabins. I'd almost gotten there, safe and sound, when Mark and his brothers rounded the corner to my father's cabin. I glared at them, "What do you want?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see the emo kid's reaction when his 'romantic interest' went and kissed an Abercrombie model," Mark replied snidely.

"Well, he's doing just fine. And, she most certainly is _not _my romantic interest," I snarled at him.

"Really? So, it's okay if I say that she's absolutely 'fuckable'?" Mark sneered.

My eyes blazed and I rushed him. He laughed and shoved me down and suddenly, his friends picked me up like I weighed no more than an empty burlap sack and dragged me toward the boy's bathroom. Once we passed the front doors, Mark picked up a nearby plunger and slipped it through the door's handles, locking us all in.

The two Ares brothers gripped my arms, pinning them behind my back. Mark walked up to my face, snarling under his breath, "Look, you freaking asshole. You tell me this, and tell me it straight, and I won't have to bring in my buddies here," he raised his arms and flexed them to make his muscles bulge. "So, where the hell is Kayla, _really_?"

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"_Where _is her camp?" He snapped. "Are you deaf or something, Dead Boy?"

I stared at him like he was crazy. "Why do you need to know where her camp is?"

"I'm asking the questions here!" Mark's hand flew up, smacking my face, causing my head to snap to the left. I felt my cheek throb with pain and knew that by tomorrow, I'd have the nastiest bruise on the planet.

"Now, where is her camp?" He wrapped his fingers through my hair, yanking it hard. I winced.

"I don't know," I insisted.

"You do know!" Mark shouted. He yanked my hair enough to make me feel as if he'd just ripped out a clump of it. "Tell me, you freaking bastard!"

I heard something in one of the toilets plop inside with a loud splash. I heard two familiar voices share a curse, but then one moaned, "Damn it! Why did I eat all of those burritos last night?" A nasty smell exploded from the stall, and the second voice said, "_Oh yeah_!"

Mark let go of my hair and stalked toward the stall. He kicked it open, revealing the Stoll brothers. Connor was on the toilet, his pants pulled down so we could see him trying to pull up his caduceus-patterned boxers. "Doesn't anyone knock anymore?" Connor shouted, finally pulling them up along with his jeans.

Travis's eyes widened when he slid his gaze to me. I could tell by the pain in my face that my eye would be black and blue by tomorrow morning and I bet it was pretty noticeable.

Mark looked them over. "Were you two … going to the bathroom together?"

"No!" Connor insisted. "Travis just has this phobia of toilets, you see. Ever since he saw the movie Hoot, he can't go to the bathroom without thinking that a crocodile will bite his ass off."

Travis nodded. "It's been hard to live with," he told us.

Mark looked bewildered. "You two should leave. There's nothing to see."

"But, what if I'm not done shitting?" Connor asked Mark.

"Look, if I lit a match, this place would blow up worse than the Mount St. Helens did," Mark argued.

"Hey, I don't _care _about how much flammable gas is in this freaking place! I'm not done shitting—and you can't tell me when I'm done shitting in that damn stall, because news flash, bucko—you aren't the boss of me! This is a free country, and I can shit when and where and how ever I freaking want!" Connor screamed.

Mark held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Fine. Just finish shitting!"

Travis and Connor shut the stall door, mumbling about inappropriate actions of 2012's juvenile delinquents. They stepped out, flushing the toilet loudly then walked to the bathroom door and yanked it open, cracking the plunger into three separate pieces. Travis gave a salute, while Connor hollered, "Happy shitting, boys!"

They shut the door behind them and I officially lost hope. Mark dragged me to the open stall, which Connor had just exploded in, and forced me onto my knees, holding my head over the grimy water. "Now," Mark warned. "Would you like to tell me where Kayla's camp is, or would you like to gargle with shitty water?"

I stared at the water and felt my stomach twist into knots. "Before I tell you anything, why do you even want to know?"

Mark yanked my head up, sending a hard kick to my gut. "Fine! You want to know, Corpse Breath?"

I nodded absently. He sneered at me, his brown eyes glittering. "Kayla is a major part in our plan. She's going to be the Olympus's fall or Olympus's rise. She's more powerful than Percy—she's the Pandorian, the most powerful demigod on the planet."

I was utterly confused. "So … you want her for her power?"

"Exactly!" Mark grinned like a crazy person in a mental institution. "Her power…"—he licked his lips as if just talking about her power made him suddenly crave it—"is more powerful than Western civilization plus all of history combined."

He glared at me suddenly, as if I wanted to steal the power from him. "And, _you, _di Angelo, are going to be our ticket to that place. Oh, and sorry—but I can't necessarily let you pack."

"Wait—!" I was hefted over one of Mark's shoulders and he snarled into my ear, "You mess this up and I swear on the River Styx, I will kill Kayla the second I see her."

That shut me up. What? I didn't want her to get hurt—but maybe, I should've been more worried about _myself _than a girl who was probably sucking face with some blonde beach boy half a world away.

**Dun-dun-dun! What the heck is up with Mark? What's going to happen to Nico? And, how is Kayla going to cope with _two boys _fighting over her? **

**Thanks for all the nice reviews! I'm really excited to write further chapters! And, since I was hopped up on Hunger Games withdrawal for the movie, I drew two pictures: one of Katniss and one of Peeta. If you want to hear the one story I'm pending on postage, go ahead and ask. Here's a summary:**

**What if there was a Mockingjay before Katniss? Jay Wing used to live in District Thirteen—before it was blown to smithereens. His mother left him years ago, his father died in a nuclear explosion, his older brother's an Avox, and his younger brother is currently living under Snow's company (aka: torture, anyone?). Oh, and to top it off, he just got dragged into the Hunger Games with his best friend and maybe girlfriend. Could it get any worse? Oh, drat, I just jinxed it. Honestly, Jay's just plain screwed.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	8. Tears And Light Are Shed

**Kayla's POV:**

I know what you're wondering about. How did the parrying date go? I think this will answer your question: Aaron's now in the infirmary, trying to recover from a twisted ankle and sprained wrist.

I walked into the room, where Aaron looked up from his seat in an infirmary bed. His foot was propped up on a pillow, and he had some sort of glove on his wrist. He gave me a faint smile, as I asked, "Is it really as bad as the medics said?"

He rolled his eyes. "No. The medics don't know what they're talking about. I'll be fully recovered by the end of this week."

I stared at the floor. "I'm sorry," I rushed out. "It's just that, you told me to give it my all—"

"Yeah, I did. Just, next time, don't give it so _much_," Aaron told me, sitting up in the bed to get into a comfortable position.

"So, basically it's your fault," I pointed out.

He stared at me. "Really? You're accusing me, while I'm the one injured?"

I nodded, when Lucas walked in. He grinned at Aaron, "Damn! You _did _get your ass beat by a girl!"

Aaron glared at Lucas to shut up, but he kept rambling. "Man, when the other warriors said you were in the infirmary because Kayla put you in your place—I told them they were trippin'! But, no—here you are, crippled and bruised, licking your wounds! Oh man, people are going to love this!" He flipped out a camera phone and began recording. "Aaron, give a big smile to the ladies on the other side of the state!" Before he could protest, Lucas turned so that the camera took me in. "Kayla," he asked, sounding like a news reporter, "how do feel about whipping Aaron's white ass?"

"Um, good?" I asked, uncertain of what to say. Lucas grinned, making sure that the camera looked my entire body over. "You heard it people! Kayla West feels _good _about beating Aaron to a pulp! And… _damn_… are you single? 'Cause, if you were a Facebook profile, I'd be poking you all night!"

Aaron shouted, "Okay, Luke! That's it! You're officially off the web!" Aaron picked up a bottle of water that he'd been drinking and threw it at Lucas's phone camera. Lucas dodged, causing the water to go straight to me. I threw my hands up in the air to shield my face… but didn't have to. The water was floating … in midair. Lucas and Aaron gawked.

"Holy shit! How are you doing that?" Lucas marveled, staring at the water.

I stared at it. "I don't know," I told them. We watched the water solidify into an ice-blue sword. Its edges smoked a multicolored mist and the hilt was of a type of old dark metal, one that radiated evil and fear. When my fingers clasped around the hilt, I looked at Lucas and Aaron. They had these bubbles floating over their heads—a dog the size of Cerberus snarled in Lucas's bubble; in Aaron's bubble stood him, watching his mother and his sister getting killed, over and over again, their screams a sickening repetition in my ears along with a woman and man's booming laughter. I realized these were their fears, large dogs and people dying.

I forced myself to let the sword clatter out of my hand. I felt power hungry, as if the very feeling of the sword—of the fear—made me crazy with envy for it. Lucas was still staring at it, as he asked, "Why'd you let go?"

I didn't answer, just kicked the sword until it connected with the wall and shattered in a million pieces. I look up at the two guys, and asked them, "Where's the boundary line from here?" 

"Why?" Aaron asked, suspiciously.

"Because I need to take a walk. To clear my head," I tapped my forehead for emphasis.

Lucas shrugged. "Take a left from here, a right, and you should come to the edge of the boundary. It's next to a weeping willow." Lucas looked up to meet Aaron's glare. "What? It can't hurt anyone to take a walk, Air."

I followed Luke's instructions and passed the weeping willow. I told a leap out and looked around at the landscape. My eyes met a large billboard that exclaimed **You are now in Florida! **

I looked around. The place was basically a beach town—complete with white sand beaches, palm trees and an amazing sunset. I walked over to the beach to calm my nerves. I sat down on the white sand and took my tennis shoes off. I let my toes dig into the sand and watched the waves lap the shore. I stared at the orange waves, watching them crash. I whispered under my breath, "Please, Dad. Send me a sign. I'm freaking out here."

Nothing came, just the crashing lull of the waves against the shore. It made me think of a song, and before I could stop myself, I was singing aloud:

_Are you out there, where the rainy days begin?_

_To feel rather sad and the walls are closing in, like the darkness around me,_

_It's so hard to look away, when the daylight doesn't ever stay,_

_Above this dull apartment view, oh I will surround you._

_It's quite clear that I'm stuck here,_

_So I'll devise a plan and cut out a door in my new living room floor._

_The porch light, is so bright,_

_That I will quickly sneak down the dark metal shape of the rusty fire escape._

_I bought a one-way ticket, 'cause I knew I'd never see the ground,_

_Unless I was aboard a jet plane and we going down._

_When I wiped the tears from my eyes, the warm water took me by surprise._

_And I woke up beside ocean, I realized—I must be in California!_

_Aloha, my happy West Coast friends._

_Do you feel alive when the breaking waves arrive, and rush all around you?_

_The beach homes in Oceanside are quite well known by the evening tide,_

_And we can sleep where we reside, with redwoods around us._

_The blue air is up there, and could I bring it down, _

_I'd bottle it up and save it for a sweet summer night. _

I was halfway finished with the song when I heard Aaron's voice say, "Whoa. How'd you learn to sing like that?" I widened my eyes, turning to see him limping his way to take a seat beside me.

"Naturally, I guess," I told him, blushing.

"You know, you should sing for the camp," he suggested.

I shook my head feverishly fast. "No. I have stage fright. I'm fine…"

He shook his head, gazing at me. "Kayla, you should at least think about it. Before the war, we pump up the warriors with music. It works wonders. If you sang, I _know _we're going to win."

"What if I don't _want _Gaea to win?" I asked him harshly.

He pulled his knees to his chest and gazed at the setting sun. "If you don't want her to win, how'd you wind up here?"

I shrugged. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

We were silent for a long time. Then, Aaron told me, "Sing a song that will make everyone realize that the war is wrong."

I turned and stared at him. "I thought you wanted her to win."

He shook his head. "That's what she wants to hear. But, I don't care anymore. I'll probably wind up dead by the end of it, anyways."

I stared at his hard expression. "Why would you think like that?"

"Because my fate is already sealed," he said.

"And, what do you mean by that?"

"The prophecy. It states my death like a sore thumb," Aaron mumbled.

"Tell me it," I pestered.

He caved in, and began to recite it,

"_Warriors lost in bloodlust and grief,_

_Shall be brought to light by Pandora's speak._

_Olympus shall crash and burn,_

_Unless the Pandorian can decide whom to serve._

_The sons of Hermes and Hades must agree,_

_In order to save the daughter of the Sea."_

I sat there, letting the prophecy's words soak in. "I didn't hear anything about your death," I told him.

"There's one last line," He seemed pained to tell me. "_The son of Hermes will lose his life, by the blade of the cursed knife._"

I stared at the orange waves to avoid his eyes. I subconsciously grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back.

"You know what this reminds me of?" He asked, staring at the sea.

"Like what?"

"My sister, Sam. She used to love the ocean and since we lived so close, I brought her down here every morning. We'd pick up seashells before the tide rolled in," Aaron got a distant glint in his eyes, which turned dangerously sad. "Sam was only nine when it happened. When the monsters came for me. It was my fault. I told them to stay inside, that I'd handle it. Sam left her swimsuit out to dry so she went to go get it … and she couldn't see because of the Mist—it bit her before I could stab it and I couldn't stop the blood flow and the poison was already in her bloodstream—"

His tears cut him off. His body was racked in sobs, making him shake uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around him in shock, and said, "Aaron! It wasn't your fault that she died!" I rubbed his back, holding him close as he continued to cry. He pulled me close until the sobs stopped coursing through his body. He wiped his eyes against his sleeve and looked up at me. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to break down like that. It's just …"

I held up a hand. "It's okay, Aaron. You know, it's okay to cry sometimes—it shows you care."

He stared at me, wiping a damp cheek with the back of his hand. "Thanks," he whispered.

"How about I take you up on your offer for singing to the warriors?" I told him.

His face lit up slightly. "If you need a backup singer, I'll be there. And, if you need someone to have your back, I'll be there before you even know you need it."

I smiled at him as we both stood up, discussing music plans.

But, the only thing on my mind was one thing, or one person: Nico, who was nowhere near here, was a major part of the prophecy. He was my life or my demise—just like Aaron. And, to make matters worse, I just signed up to sing _in public. _If I survived that, I could survive anything, even this war.

Or, I could die trying. That was the worthy hero way.

**I don't own the song _West Coast Friendship _by _Owl city. _I don't own PJO, because I am not Rick Riordan. **

**Thanks for reading. Man, I'm on a roll—second time I've posted in the same week. Man, I'm so proud of myself. I'm also proud, because according to my reading teacher, my poems are awesome! **

**So, a haiku because I'm bored:**

**Thank you for reading,**

**I hope your heart is beating,**

**For I really care. **

**I'm sorry, but that was terrible. That's the true work of Apollo up there. He'd probably put it in the Hall of Lousy Haikus, right beside his own. **

**Review, please!**


	9. The Full Prophecy Is Announced

Poseidon's POV: 

I kept a tight grip onmy trident, watching my daughter fraternize with a blonde warrior whom was the son of my nephew, Mr. Steals A Lot. The thief's friend, Lucas, was videotaping Aaron's embarrassment.

We all watched in awe as Aaron threw a water bottle, sending its contents into a spiraling spew. Kayla raised her hands in front of her face—causing the water to take the form of a sword, crafted of solidified 100% spring water and an old silvery iron. I recognized the iron immediately—I could've spotted it faster than a bloodhound on a murder victim's scent. The same iron that my father's scythe was made of, the same scythe material that my grandfather, Uranus, had used.

"Holy shit! How'd you do that?" Lucas asked, his eyes wide and bugged.

"I don't know," Kayla responded, her fingers clasping around the dark iron hilt. We all watched as the camera turned to take in the two boys… or more like _above _the two boys.

Mist-filled bubbles floated over their heads. Over Lucas's, there was a giant dog the size of Cerberus. Hades laughed, "Scared of dogs, hmm? _This _is going to be _fun._" He earned five different smacks from Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena, Hera, and his very own wife, Persephone.

Over Aaron's head, stood his mother and his younger sister. They were chained above a smoking lava pit, tortured but unable to leave the horror of torment with death. Their screams boomed in our ears, thundering against the marble columns. I could hear faint brooding laughter—grandmother and father together, in a sickly chorus of laughter that even put Hades' evil laughter/coughing fit to shame.

Kayla dropped the sword, causing it to shatter into a million pieces of jagged ice. Ares stared at it hungrily, licking his lips. "Such damn raw power… and she shatters it into pieces!" My nephew shouted in outrage.

I yelled, "Don't question her motives! She knows what's right and wrong… unlike _you_, Ares!"

Zeus threw up his hands and thundered, "Silence! No fighting! Just be quiet so we can listen!"

"Yeah," Aphrodite told us, surprising everyone, until she continued, "I want to figure out who's more perfect for her—Aaron or Nico!"

Hades and Hermes shared a frightened glance but looked away to fumble with their magical items.

We turned back to the screen. Kayla was walking past a weeping willow to take a seat on the beach, beside the orange-tinted waves. She stared at the waves as she whispered, "Please, Dad. I need a sign. I'm freaking out here."

I smiled at her, knowing what was to come. She watched the waves, opened her mouth, and began to sing.

"_Are you out there, where the rainy days begin?_

_To feel rather sad, and the walls are closing in, like the darkness around me?_

_It's so hard to look away, when the daylight doesn't ever stay,_

_Above this dull apartment view, oh I will surround you_," Apollo had joined the chorus the moment the words flooded from Kayla's mouth, and together, they put Apollo's solo to absolute grief and shame.

"_It's quite clear that I'm stuck here,_

_So I'll devise a plan and cut out a door in my new living room floor._

_The porch light, is so bright,_

_That I will quickly sneak down the dark metal shape of rusty fire escape_," All of the goddesses joined in, singing and giggling to the beat and rhythm, along with Apollo and Kayla's harmonized voices.

"_I bought a one-way ticket, 'cause I knew I'd never see the ground,_

_Unless I was aboard a jet plane, and we were going down._

_When I wiped the tears from my eyes, the warm water took me by surprise,_

_And I woke up beside the ocean, I realized—I must be in California!_" Everyone was singing, even Ares and Hades and Dionysus, letting all of Olympus's voices come together to form a beautiful hurricane of overlapping voices and rhythms and beats.

"_Aloha, my happy West Coast friends,_

_Do you feel alive when the breaking waves arrive, and rush all around you?_

_The beach homes in Oceanside are quite well known by the evening tide,_

_And we can sleep where we reside, with redwoods around us!_

_The blue air is up there,_

_And could I bring it down, I'd bottle it up and save it for a sweet summer night,_" We were all getting into the whole singing gig when Aaron asked, "Whoa. How'd you learn to sing like that?" We all sighed and took our seats on our thrones.

"Naturally, I guess," she said, blushing like crazy.

"You know, you should sing for the camp," Aaron suggested.

I grinned, turning to look at Hermes. "I like this kid," I told him, smiling. "He's helping Kayla do other things."

Hermes nodded, but something about his face made it seem like he wasn't exactly elated. Maybe it was the fact that Aaron reminded most of the council of Luke Castellan, the son of Hermes who'd died a few years ago by sacrificing himself to destroy the Titan Lord's human form—himself.

I watched Kayla shake her head. "No, I have stage fright. I'm fine…"

"Kayla, you should at least think about it," Aaron chided. "Before the war, we pump up our warriors with music. It works wonders. If you sang, I _know _we'd win."

"What if I don't _want _Gaea to win?" Kayla asked, miserably.

Aaron pulled his knees to his chest. "If you don't want her to win, how'd you end up here?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Kayla murmured.

"Sing a song that will make everyone realize that the war is wrong," Aaron blurted.

"War is the best damn thing since Sparta, punk!" Ares seethed, his eyes exploding with red nuclear bombs.

We all rolled our eyes at Ares' outburst.

"I thought you wanted her to win," Kayla pointed out.

"That's what she wants to hear," Aaron muttered. "But, I don't care. I'll probably wind up dead by the end of it, anyways."

Hermes's face was washed over with immense sadness. By the look in his eyes, his fears had just been confirmed.

"Why would you think like that?" Kayla asked, staring at his hard expression.

"Because my fate is already sealed," he said.

"And, what do you mean by that?" she asked.

"The prophecy. It states my death like a sore thumb," Aaron mourned.

At the word 'prophecy', Apollo's eyes glowed neon green, as he began to recite:

"_Warriors lost in bloodlust and grief,_

_Must be brought to light by Pandora's speak."_

I nodded, understanding that Kayla's songs would make them see sense.

"_Olympus shall crash and burn,_

_Unless the Pandorian can decide whom to serve."_

Kayla would have to figure out whom to serve—the Giants or us.

"_The sons of Hermes and Hades must agree, _

_In order to save the daughter of the Sea."_

Nico and Aaron would have to save my daughter … from what; I didn't even want to know.

"_The son of Hermes shall lose his life,_

_To the blade of the cursed knife."_

Hermes had to choke down a sob as he buried his face in his hands. His siblings comforted him, hugging him and whispering calming nonsense.

"_The Pandorian can stop the death,_

_If only she breathes his very last breath._"

Apollo's eyes turned to his normal crystal blue. "Whoa," he muttered, holding his head with his hand. "Ouch. My head feels worse than Dad's did when Athena split out of his forehead."

Zeus rolled his electric blue eyes. "Apollo, you're more dramatic than the mortals' soap operas."

"What does the last line mean?" I asked Apollo, my eyes pleading with him.

He shrugged. "I don't even remember what I was blabbering about, Uncle. Sorry."

I slumped into my throne, practically sending the fisherman's chair to its snapping point. I pulled out a wallet to look at the pictures of my kids—the ones I was proud of. Tyson grinned beside Percy, standing in front of the camp beside the 'chicken ponies'. Kayla smiled up from the swimming pool she had in her backyard. Other pictures of my younger kids filled the other photo slots. Two twin boys, who looked almost identical to Percy, spit off the edge of a bridge, their sea green eyes glowing the same color as the ocean below them. A girl with choppy brown pigtails had a grin on her face, showing off her two gaps in her top row of baby teeth. She hugged a stuffed dolphin in her skinny tan arms. I flipped through a few of pictures to stare at my children's faces. I tucked it back into my pocket, trying to not break down. I wasn't known for breaking down, but when I heard Kayla say, "It's okay to cry sometimes—it shows that you care," I barely even had enough time to breathe, because the tears were flooding from my eyes worse than an actual flood.

I stood and left the room, locked myself in one of the bathrooms, and let the tears come. What would I do if Kayla … _died? _I'd lose it. There wouldn't be enough land and water and world to destroy, because it would all be gone in one flick of my trident.

**Nico's POV:**

Mark shoved me and snarled, "Keep going or I'll skewer you."

I looked around at the swirling greens and blurring blues and startling peaches. "Where are we?" I mumbled.

"Somewhere in Florida," one of his brothers informed, giving me a stab in the back with a javelin.

"Stop," I snarled at him, giving him a sharp glare.

"Why? Does it hurt?" He slammed the tip of it against the small of my back, cutting it through my shirt.

"Hey!" I snarled, turning to face him, getting ready to bash the guy's face in.

Suddenly, I heard a buzzing noise. Something around my neck tightened. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and suddenly an electric jolt exploded from the collar around my neck.

I dropped to the ground, yelping and crying out, struggling to unfasten the electric dog collar from my neck. Three jolts hit my neck and I screamed in pain.

"Shut up!" Mark shouted, slamming his hand over my mouth to quiet my screams. We listened and then I heard her voice—getting closer.

"Did you hear that?" Kayla asked, worry evident in her voice.

"The screams?" Aaron's voice asked.

"Yeah. I think they came from over here," Kayla's voice trailed off.

"Shit," Mark muttered, glancing back at his brothers. He looked down at me, "I guess this is the end of the line for you, Emo Boy. We might as well finish what we started."

He snapped his fingers and if his hand hadn't been covering my mouth, I would've screamed loud enough for the gods to hear up in Olympus.

Stalking forward, out of the shadows, was a huge monster the size of a grizzly bear. It was covered in matted black fur and scars that were longer than the javelin that had dug into my back a while before. Its soulless black eyes made me get chills. I looked it up and down, taking in its three-inch long claws and the spiraling spiked tail. It was a new monster, one I'd never seen before. It was some type of crazy monster hybrid.

Mark dropped me on the ground, making sure to send a jolt through my collar one last time before he laughed and left with his brothers to rush off into the woods, leaving me face-to-jowl with a hellhound-manicore hybrid. I'd had bad experiences with manicores so I was basically frozen to my spot, remembering the day that my sister and I had met Percy and the gang, how we'd almost been kidnapped, how I'd lost all of my Myth-o-Magic cards, and how my sister had died. Everything was bombarding me so quick, I didn't even see Kayla and Aaron round the corner and stop dead in their tracks.

"Oh my gods! Nico?" Kayla shouted, but stopped short when she saw the monster.

"Holy—!" Aaron started, his eyes as big as Frisbees.

Kayla and Aaron pulled out their swords. I sat there, on the ground, paralyzed by the hybrid's stare.

Aaron advanced but didn't get very far. The hybrid looked up, gave a menacing snarl, and leapt toward Aaron before he could sidestep. Aaron's sword met the monster's neck, but not before its thorny tail sent a torrent of spikes at him. He struggled to unpin his legs from the ground.

Kayla rushed over to help Aaron, but the monster looked up and its jowls curled to reveal bloodstained teeth. A whimper escaped her mouth as the hybrid approached her.

Aaron shouted at me, "Get off your lazy ass, kid! If you don't act fast, that monster's going to be having a three-course meal: Kayla, me and you!"

He was right. I forced myself to stand, to grab the knife that Aaron tossed to me from his position on the ground, and rushed the monster from behind. I stabbed it in the back as hard as I could, causing it to screech and thrash. Kayla shook out of her daze, and stabbed the monster in the leg, splitting its bone with a sickening crack.

Kayla pulled out the thorns holding Aaron down, while I took care of the monster—or the monster took care of me. Its paw flew threw the air, snapping my collar from my neck. I grinned, feeling power swell through my veins.

I slammed my fists into the ground, smiling when I heard the rattle of bones and the gasp of the ground opening. It felt good to be able to bring back the dead for a while.

The skeletons dragged the monster under the earth with them. I looked up to glance at Aaron and Kayla. Kayla rushed over and gave me an, unfortunately, short hug, as she asked, "Nico, what the _heck _was that? And, how did you get from New York to here?"

I glanced at her. "It's a _long _story."

Kayla stared into my hazel eyes. "Then, you better start spilling."

**Happy _Late_ Saint Patrick's Day! Another thing I forgot to tell you guys is: "Beware the Ides of March!" I learned via CNN Student News, that Julius Caesar was assassinated March 15th, and that is why Shakespeare said that saying in his play (I forgot what it was called, but whatevs). **

**You know what's weird? I've already had dreams of a sequel and I keep getting bombarded by dreams of further chapters (even though I don't understand how I'll fit each one in). I'm not Hermes here! And, if I were, I wouldn't be on my computer as much as I am. I'd be knocking up mortals, posting on Godsbook, and sending people random packages and doorbell ditching people's houses so I could steal their crap! **

**But, no, I'm a mortal (possible demigod?) girl who needs to finish her Math homework. Not as much fun, huh? I'd rather swim in my pool, but nope. We'd have to clean the gunk out of it, take the cover off, clean out the bugs, freak out because something touched my leg under the murky brown unchlorined water, then end up giving up because it's too much hard work. That's way too true. Ugh, I hate when I'm right when I point out the flaws about me. Growl.**

**Review, please! Should I start answering your guy's reviews on my chapters or just PM you guys like I usually do?**

Had


	10. A Time To Just Break Down

**Kayla's POV:**

I was rehearsing with Aaron when Nico walked in, having heard me singing.

He stared at me, a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. "You sing?" He asked, surprised.

"As a matter of fact, I do," I told him.

"Can we please get back to the song, please? You need to get the pitches close to perfect in order to get the warriors to believe you," Aaron whined, giving me a feeling that he was totally jealous.

"Sure," I sighed, picking up the lyrics to sing the song.

"_My best friend gave me the best advice,_

_He said each day is a gift and not a given right._

_Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind,_

_And try to take the path less traveled by._

_The first step you take is the longest stride,_" Nico grinned at me, knowing the song, so he began to act as a backup singer.

"_What if, what if,_" Nico whispered, smiling at me, swallowing the toothpaste suds in his mouth to continue the now-duet with me.

"_If today was your last day, tomorrow was too late,_

_Could you say goodbye to yesterday?_

'_What if, what if'_

_Would you live each moment like your last?_

_Leave old pictures in the past?  
><em>

_Donate every dime you have?_

'_What if, what if'_

_If today was your last day!_"

"Good," Aaron told me, nodding to keep me going. "Sing all of it, okay?"

"Against the grain should be a way of life,What's worth the price is always worth the fight.

_Every second counts, there's no second try,_

_So live like you'll never live it twice!_

_Don't take the free ride in your own life," _I sang, stopping when Aaron held up his hand.

"Alright, you've got this song perfect. Any others you'd like to sing?"

"Um… Well, if I tell you, you can't laugh," I told them both.

Aaron crossed his heart with his fingers. "Cross my heart, and hope to die."

Nico gave Aaron a weird look, and said, "Depends on how bad your song choice is."

I gave Nico a hard punch in the arm, before continuing, "Well, I think singing Break Me Out by The Rescues would be really upbeat—we could have like four voices: mine, both of yours, and another girls'."

"Okay," Aaron nodded. "Any more?"

"Holding Out For A Hero by Ella Mae Bowen," I told them.

Nico practically choked. "Seriously? That's like … all girly and mushy …"

I glared at him. "Yeah, and I'm going to sing it even _if you don't like it._"

Aaron asked, "Any more? For the Teen Section of the night?"

I grinned suddenly, knowing some really dirty songs that could get us in so much trouble. "Can they have millions of cuss words in these ones?"

Aaron watched my face, suddenly fearful. "I'm afraid to say so, but … there can be a minimum amount of cuss words."

"Yes!" I shouted, throwing my arms up into the air. "Okay, we can sing these songs at night…"

…

After rehearsal, I dragged myself away from the millions of floating lyrics and beats and pitches to take a walk through the woods in our little corner of the military camp. I slipped a few knives down into a secret compartment in my hunting boots, pockets and headband. I patted my jean pocket to feel my pen's bulging form.

I set out to scour the forest's trees and monsters. It was a breeding ground for hybrids, giants, tree and plant nymphs and the occasional wandering dead ghoul. I found my new hiding spot—a large maple tree with leaves the size of my palm, the trunk taller than the tallest trees anywhere near the said one, and branches that slid through the air with scratchy outstretched hands.

I planted myself down in front of the trunk, taking out a drawing pad and some pencils, and began to draw. I didn't know what—until I finished. I stared at the sketch in horror, trying to figure out how in the freaking world I'd made it.

It was Aaron, lying on the sketched gravel, a bloodied javelin sticking from his chest. The gravel was glazed with red dye-like blood, as if someone had spilt a large can of red paint all over the floor and him. His blonde hair was caked in drying blood, his eyes closed, his cheeks hollow. My lips were pressed against his, my hands in the movement of pushing up and down on his chest as I desperately tried to revive him. I could almost imagine myself slowly yanking the javelin out, putting pressure on the wound, breathing into him, praying to every damn god out there.

Suddenly, I heard something crack. My head shot up. I whirled my head to the side and met the brown eyes of a blonde-haired wolf. Its ears perked up as it stared intently at the drawing in my lap. It cocked its head to the side, looking me over.

I watched it nimbly leap from its position on an oversized boulder to sit across me, its legs crossed, like a … person. The wolf slowly morphed into a teenage boy, one with a bare chest and (thank the gods of Olympus) pants. He stared at the drawing with his golden brown eyes as he asked, "What's that?"

His voice was musical, vocal, like a musician's. It made me think of Apollo, except this kid wasn't trying to sound as if he were singing a chorus—he was just talking like you and I would do normally.

I stared at the sketch and shrugged, "The product of boredom, I guess." 

He cocked his head to the side once again, and asked, "Why did you decide to draw that? A person dying?"

I didn't answer, and instead asked, "Who are you? _What _are you?"

He smiled slyly, like a fox. "There are plenty of them in this forest."

I raised an eyebrow. "A hybrid?" I asked.

He nodded, morphing into a wolf then back into a human. "It's pretty fun to do—morphing, that is. I can morph into any animal or monster—but I prefer the wolf. Oh, and by the way, my name is Hunter."

"Hunter?" I mused.

"Yeah. What's your name?"

"Kayla Wes—" Hunter cut me off with an excited bark.

"Oh my gods! You're … Kayla West? The Pandorian?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah. Am I famous or something?" I asked.

"Famous or something? You are like a freaking _idol_!" Hunter chorused.

"An idol? But, it's not like I've done anything extraordinary—"

"Just being here is extraordinary! No one would come to a war camp willingly—but you did! You're going to stop … you know who," Hunter's brown eyes scanned the woods, the ground, the rocks—as if they could become something dangerous at any moment.

"It's not safe to talk here," Hunter told me. "My pack will find out and tell Mother Earth about how I'm frolicking with the enemy. How about I meet you at the arena? They allow hybrids," Hunter compromised.

"Okay," I shrugged.

"Oh, and, if it wouldn't be much of a burden—I have to bring my younger siblings to show them around. Pup orientation," He told me.

"Sure. No problem," I said, and he smiled, showing off some sharp canines.

"Awesome! See you later, then!" Hunter gave me a salute, and then hopped off his perch on the ground to morph into a wolf and dart into the trees toward the chorus of musical howls chorusing down the hill.

I watched him go, suddenly confused. Did I _really _just have a conversation with a wolf boy?

"What is this—Twilight?" I asked myself, standing up as I began to dust off my shorts. I grabbed my sketchbook, turning it to the cover so no one could see the disturbing picture of Aaron's death, and began to walk up the hill.

A shadow passed beside me, and Nico appeared.

"What was that all about?" He asked.

"What?" I asked him.

"Oh, don't play dumb. That whole wolf conversation."

"Wait—how do you know about that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Nico shrugged. "You're pretty big now."

That did not answer my question. "Are you calling me _fat, _Emo Boy?" I snarled at him.

He winced at the name. "You know, I always liked Dead Boy better than that one. And, no, I wasn't calling you fat. Have you _seen _the ratings on your show?"

I looked away to stare ahead. "I haven't had any outside contact since you came."

He watched my face but I kept it emotionless. "Well, then look at this," I listened to him fumble through his pockets. He brought out a phone (one that the Hephaestus kids had designed because the Stolls had nagged everyone's ears off) and turned it to face me.

It was my face, staring off to the distance. Over my head, golden letters exclaimed **Pandora's Gifts (shown every night at exactly 7 o'clock). **Ratings on the show ranged from the Greek camp, to the Roman camp and all the way to the Egyptian magicians. They all seemed to love the romance, the war, the heartbreak, and the sacrifices.

I realized that this was a sick version of the Roman Coliseum, except in the 21st Century. My eyes widened at the two teams—Team Aaron and Team Nico. I stared at Nico and gestured to the teams.

"Really? _Teams_?" I asked, completely repulsed.

Nico shrugged like it was no big deal. "Yeah, teams. Aphrodite started it and said it needed more 'love'."

"Great," I groaned. "So, all of the camps are splitting to find a team they like?"

Nico shrugged. "Probably just the Aphrodite kids."

"Thank the gods!" I exclaimed, holding a hand over my heart as if I were at risk of a heart attack.

"Yeah. Thank the gods," Nico mumbled, smiling weakly.

I looked at him, closely. "What?" I asked him.

"Nothing. Let's get back before we have to do something worse than kitchen duty," Nico told me.

I stopped him, grabbing his wrist. "Nico," I tired to say.

He shoved my hand off. "What?" He asked, angrily.

"What the heck is your problem?" I asked him, causing him to laugh harshly.

"_My _problem? My problem is _you. _Do you know how it felt to watch you practically make out with some blonde player?" Nico shot.

"Wait—Are you jealous?" I asked him, watching him laugh even harsher than before.

"Absolutely not! For all I care—you and Aaron can go have sex right now!" Nico yelled, glaring at me as he threw his hands into the air.

I stared at him, taken aback. I felt myself glare coldly. "Fine. I will do just that, you bastard," I spat at him, feeling tears well up in my eyes.

Nico face softened drastically. "Wait, Kayla…" He tried to grab my arm, but I shoved him away.

"_No._" I warned him, glaring at him as the tears slid down my cheeks. I walked around him and began to stalk further into the woods.

He called after me, shouting, "Kayla! Wait, no! That wasn't me! Kayla, please!" I could hear him running after me.

I picked up speed, running as fast as I could until I couldn't run any longer. I slipped down a tree's mossy bark and sobbed into my hands. I couldn't hear him screaming my name anymore. I was now in the middle of the woods—and most certainly did _not _want to find a way out until I sorted through all of the files in my mind.

I needed to time to think, a time to cry, a time to break down.

And, no one was taking that privilege away. I looked up for a few seconds and snarled, "Show's over." And, somehow, I knew I'd just shut down the entire network of my brand-new reality show without the gods' help. Man, Aphrodite was going to be pissed.

**Sorry for the wait. I've had a lot of … things in the way, I guess. My grandma's dog was put down because he was too weak to get up to use the restroom, so I cried my eyes out for almost two days. On a happier note, I just went to see the Hunger Games with my parents, younger sister and grandma. Let me just say—it was the best movie I've ever seen! Haymitch (Woody) was freaking hilarious… and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) was pretty sexy, too. **

**Review, please! **


	11. Aphrodite Isn't Very Happy, No?

**Aphrodite's POV:**

I sat on my throne, giddy with excitement. I turned to face my half-brother, Hermes, and started to chat with him and my Uncles.

"So, Hermes, Poseidon, Hades," I mused. "How would you all like the reality show to go?" 

Hermes and Hades shrugged like it was nothing. Poseidon was tapping his open-toed sandal impatiently on the marble flooring, giving sharp glares to whoever was looking his way. I felt for him, I really did—seeing his expression made me think of the children I'd lost. I felt a pang in my heart at the mental mention of Silena, causing me to take an interest in my French manicure.

The screen burst into fire then fizzled to show off Aaron and Kayla. She was singing when Nico walked in. "You sing?" He asked, unbelievably.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Kayla replied.

Aaron whined for them to hurry up. I had to hold back my smile.

Everyone held his or her breaths when she began to sing If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback. Apollo had put his hands in front of his mouth in order to not start belting out verses of the song, since we'd warned him not to sing since Poseidon was clearly pissed.

Nico had begun singing with her—and I swear to us—they were perfect together. I started to mentally coo in my mind like a dove.

She started to tell the guys about her song choices, causing most of us to grin. We knew the songs—and most of the bands were kids of Apollo.

After a while, she strolled away from the camp and into the woods. Now we were antsy. We always told the campers that they shouldn't go into the woods because of the monsters and such, but we had never told Kayla. We thought that if we'd read the books that she'd know what was right and what was wrong—and going to the woods all alone was definitely wrong.

We watched her sketch a picture in her sketchbook. Hermes's eyes grew wide as he took in the picture. It was a picture of his son… _dying. _She was above him, trying to revive him, but whatever she tried, it fell on deaf ears.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. We all watched as a wolf waltzed over to Kayla, ears perked and tail swishing. It sat down across from her, and began to morph into a human boy.

"What's that?" He asked, like a curious young child.

"The product of boredom, I guess." Kayla shrugged.

"Why did you decide to draw that? A person dying?" The little blonde Jacob Black asked her.

She ignored the question. "Who are you? _What _are you?"

The kid smiled. "There are plenty of them in the forest."

I watched Artemis smile slightly, probably because the wolf looked like one of the wolves that she took to her Hunts. Except they were always white, and this one was blonde.

"A hybrid?" Kayla asked.

Everyone narrowed his or her eyes. We weren't very fond of hybrids.

The kid smiled, morphing into a wolf and then into a human. He told her his name was Hunter.

"Hunter?" Kayla asked.

"Yeah. What's your name?"

"Kayla Wes—" an excited yip cut off Kayla.

"Oh my gods! You're … Kayla West? The Pandorian?" The wolf asked excitedly.

"Yeah. Am I famous or something—"

"Famous or something? You're like a freaking idol!" Hunter exclaimed.

"An idol? But, it's not like I've done anything extraordinary—"

Hunter started to spaz out about how awesome she was and about how she was going to stop 'you-know-who'.

He stopped suddenly, causing us all to shiver, as if someone had just turned down the dial on the heating. The air turned normal again and the Big Three shared a glance.

Hunter promised Kayla he'd come back to talk to her later at the arena with the pups. He left, causing her to look confused. "What is this—Twilight?" She asked, causing us all to chuckle.

A shadow passed beside her and we all grinned, knowing who it would be.

We all watched Kayla and Nico fight in silence, and a word popped into my brain. Jealousy. Nico di Angelo was _jealous of Aaron Striker._

Kayla stalked off after they cussed each other out. Tears were streaking down her cheeks and she didn't try to wipe them away as she heard Nico screaming after her to come back.

She wept against the mossy bark of a tree. And, you wouldn't believe the nerve. She looked up and snarled under her breath, "Show's over."

I felt myself fume as the screen blackened.

The gods watched me warily as I stood from my throne, curling my fingers into manicured fists. I jabbed a finger toward Hephaestus, my husband, and said, "Honey. Can you try to bring the show back on?"

Hephaestus snapped his fingers and a blue hologram appeared before him. He began to swipe his fingers against air, pressing buttons and flipping switches. He looked up, exasperated. "No good. She wiped the signal clean. We might not be able to get it back for a few days, a week at the most."

"What?" I asked, feeling my face grow red.

Zeus stood from his throne. "Aphrodite, it's alright. We'll just tell the camps that we're having technical difficulties and that they will be settled later this week."

"WE DON'T HAVE A WEEK!" I screamed. "If _we _do not get that freaking show back on, do you _know _how much hate mail I'm going to receive? I'm not even hateable! I'm loveable and cuddly and people should adore me! But, if this show doesn't go on, I will just be another one of _you._"

Artemis raised her hand. "Aphrodite, why don't you put on a show to keep the rest of the world entertained? I bet Apollo would love to host it."

"I would!" Apollo gushed. "We could do some singing show! I know—Olympus Idol! I can see it now!"

"NO!" I screamed, causing Apollo to look genuinely hurt. I looked over at my him, and said, "No offense, Apollo, I just don't want people to get all pissy when they ask who Simon Cowell's going to be. Oh my us—did you guys know that Simon isn't even on there anymore? They have these … nice, frilly non-British people on there now."

Ares groaned. "I _hate _nice people, almost as much as I hate puppies."

"_You hate puppies_?" I asked, mortified.

"Only the small ones. They aren't _real _dogs. You know what a real dog is? A Doberman," Ares explained, and I slammed my hands over my ears.

"I can't hear you! La la la la! You said you adore toy poodles and terriers! La la la la!" I started to scream and ignored the eye rolls of the rest of the Olympians.

Poseidon slammed the butt of his green trident on the marble flooring, causing us all to hush down. He looked exasperated, as he said, "Look. Would it be a problem if I went to Camp Half-Blood to see how Percy is taking this? You all know how much he cares about his family, and I'm afraid that if anything happens to her … he's going to do something downright stupid."

All of the gods and goddesses (including myself) began to talk about it, asking Zeus for permission if we all could go.

"Please, Dad?" Hermes and Apollo chorused, turning up the charm. "We haven't seen our kids in _so long! _And, we need to keep our promise about seeing our kids—it was an oath on the Styx!"

Zeus thought about it. "Fine," He caved in, causing us all to erupt into hoots and hollers. "I suppose it is for the best."

We all snapped our fingers and vanished to appear a little ways from the camp.

**Percy's POV:**

I slumped down into my seat at the picnic table for dinner. Annabeth walked over and gave me a hug. "It's going to be alright, Seaweed Brain," she soothed, while giving me a quick peck on the cheek, "Kayla's a fighter. Before you know it, she'll be back at camp, safe and sound."

I shrugged, giving her a smile, while she walked back to her own table. Thalia was eyeing me worriedly, like she always did when I acted this way. Even the Stoll brothers looked worried, but it was probably just because they were worried about the scarce amount of change in my pockets.

Tyson sat across from me, almost as heavily. His big brown eye stared into my emerald green ones. "Are you okay, brother?" He asked, taking a bite out of a peanut butter sandwich.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just … worried," I said, taking out my pen and drawing a trident onto my palm in utter boredom.

"Kayla will be okay, right Percy?" Tyson asked me, his brown eye starting to become red and wet.

"Of course she will," I said, looking him over. "I mean, she's our sister. She's going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to her."

I was basically reassuring myself, but Tyson seemed to take the bait and believed me.

I heard a familiar voice say, "Hey, sons." A hand gripped my shoulder, and I met my father's melancholy gaze. His eyes were a mixture of swirling blue and ocean green, mixing into a treacherous sea of emotions.

My father and the rest of the gods were here, which could only mean a few things:

I'd gotten Annabeth pregnant and was about to get my ass kicked by Athena.

They were just visiting their kids like normal parents. (Yeah, right.)

Something had happened to Kayla.

Olympus' renovations had been destroyed by a random monster/warrior/god that hates me, so now Annabeth was going to talk my ear off about it and how it was my fault.

Wait, look up at number 3. I think that's the most logical thing up there. Whoa, wait. Me being logical? Someone call the police or a therapist—Seaweed Brain's making sense!

**Hey, people who are reading this story! What's up?**

**(WHAT YOU'RE THINKING: I'm reading your story… DUR.)**

**You know what just hit me? The fact that (SPOLIER) Nico is still missing from The Son of Neptune—that happened didn't it? I haven't read it so long… I just cracked the book open and skimmed it and couldn't find whatever happened to him in the back of it. Ugh, now I'm going to worry about him for a couple of months…**

**Also, my birthday is in … hmm, 17 more days if you include today. By then I will officially be 13 (and a teenager). You know what would be an amazing present? If Rick Riordan decided to come here for a book signing for his latest addition, The Serpent's Shadow, and my story like, came to life. Even though I know what would happen at the end (if I ever get past the singing thing first! I need to hurry up and post more!), it'd still be awesome. And, one of the best birthday presents ever.**

**Darn, now I got my hopes up. But, I doubt this would ever happen. Percy and the gang have so many better things to do—like blowing up national monuments and whatnot. But, hey, I'll still hope a little bit—fingers crossed! XD**

**While I'm on here, I might as well fill the page up with randomness before I get kicked off the computer. So, let's see…**

**Well, I'm on Spring Break. I have major boy trouble, because I haven't dated anyone, can't flirt even if it cost me my life (because I feel really stupid when I act all frilly and girly), and like a guy who I've been friends with since forever. Wow, I need to remember to breathe.**

**Also, I have way too many crushes on fictional characters. I just noticed that while looking at Deviant Art Memes. There's Luke, Nico, Anubis, PEETA! (YESS!), Apollo, Hermes, Travis Stoll, Will Solace, Dakota (yes, the one who gets drunk off Kool-Aid. What? Don't judge.), and this list could go on, and on, and on.**

**Oh. My. Gods. I need to do my Science project for school, and I haven't even started. My friend, Lexi, and me are doing it on Tornadoes (because they interest me and scare the living crap out me) and it's like an ad. It needs to be up to three-to-five minutes long, so I'm just going to use a voice-over voice like Caesar Flickerman from the Hunger Games, and see where that gets me. I'll make a poster and glue some pictures on and see how it goes. **

**WHAT YOU'RE THINKING: Why aren't you doing that now? Jeez, this isn't Facebook; stop telling us about your problems!**

**Oh, and, I've been obsessed with drawing Luke Castellan and Nico di Angelo these days. Two sketchbooks are full of their faces and a few OC's I've made—like Kayla and Aaron, for example. **

**If you actually read this far, give yourself a pat on the back. I actually zoned out when I was typing so this is just the irritated fangirl on the insides, who needs her damn Percabeth reunion before she hops on a plane and knocks down Rick Riordan's door and demands the copy of it Right. This. Millisecond.**

**Are milliseconds faster than seconds? **

**YOU: How should I freaking know!**

**Hmmp. I should ask Kronos, but since he's currently under millions of piles of rock and decayed animals and godly chains, I'll just ask Google. **

**All right, I've bothered you enough.**

**Review! **

He l


	12. When Jealousy Rears Its Ugly Head

Hey everybody! The reviews are piling in by the hour! And, I think I'll answer some of them on here just the heck of it:

**ScarlettRose4Love—**

**Thanks. I know, we need to chat and I need to get start updating. And, yes, I'm excited for my birthday too! XD**

**Anonymous012000—**

**I've realized that people aren't very fond of Aaron, but hey, no one's better than our favorite Dead Boy. And, yeah, I really shouldn't be worrying about "boy troubles" because honestly (Aphrodite—do not read any further) I _am _too young and need to just live life to the fullest and worry about guys and love and all that mushy stuff when I get into high school and exams and driver's tests. Also, I agree on the friends being better company, but some of my friends have been … I don't know, pulling away, I guess. I don't have the same interests as them, so it hasn't really worked out very much. I tried getting my friend to read the PJO books, but she got bored during The Sea Of Monsters (I know. She's a quitter.) Oh, and yeah … Luke (in probably only _my opinion_) is one big hunk of hot stuff! **

**(Who else realized that that was really long?)**

**Shep114—**

**Yes. All the purse dogs of the world should go attack Ares/Mars right now and demand to be considered as real dogs. My own dog, Bella, would probably lead them … until she sees our new neighbors or a rabbit, because then she's going to lead the army in the wrong direction…**

**Emily—**

**Thanks, the characters have gotten really fun to write about and I'm glad you like it! And, yeah, I am way too young to be using this word choice, and if you met me in real life, I wouldn't act like that at all. The only words I use at school/home are 'crap' and the occasional 'freaking', and I get in trouble with just those words. I'll start bringing down the amount of curses I use in writing (but in the songs … I can't help you there). I've started switching it up a bit and saying 'oh my gods' instead of 'oh my God', and if my mom wasn't irritated by my PJO obsession then—she is now. You should see the eye rolls I get whenever I ramble about Percy Jackson. Nico _does _need some romance and it is coming up—I'm excited for them! Oh, and yes, they will be making out soon enough! [evil cackle and a few frightening coughs]**

**Anonymous (Up to the date?)—**

**Don't worry. I'm bringing in the Nico!**

**Wow. Nico is in high demand. I better get on to the story!**

Kayla's POV:

I finally got to the arena, catching Nico's gaze as I walked in. I knew that I shouldn't have yelled at him, because, he was just trying to help me—in his own Dead Boy way. I gave him a faint smile to make him realize that I was over it but he just looked away.I took my pen from my boot and uncapped it, listening to it morph into a sword. I rushed a large dummy that was supposed to be a hellhound and slashed its head off with a swift strike. Hunter appeared from behind it, grinning his wolfish grin. He led three younger boys behind him who weren't really paying attention—they were too busy morphing into puppies so that they could bite and nip each other.Hunter looked over the decapitated dummy. "Wow. Anger issues much?"I rolled my eyes, twirling my sword in my hand. "Hey, if I have to go to war, I might as well be able to bust a few heads."

Hunter nodded. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"But, hey, at least the bad side has an extra supply of cookies," I grinned, causing him to laugh. One of the kids yelped, as he turned around. "Boys, stop it!" He broke up the fight by giving some of the boys some snarls, which caused them to tuck their tails between their legs.

He turned back to me. "Sorry about that. They're going through teething. I'm sure it's just a phase. Hopefully, or all of the elder dogs in the pack are going to end up putting them in their places."

I nodded, turning around to grab a spear. I looked up and noticed some girl flirting with Nico. I may seem selfish when I say this—but she was flirting _my Nico. _I narrowed my eyes, glaring a hole through the girl's head. I took aim with my spear, aiming for the target beside her and let it soar. It slammed into the bull's eye, causing her to shriek and stare at it in horror. I shouted, anger dripping form my words, "Sorry! Maybe you shouldn't stand in front of the targets!"

The girl gave me a death glare, which caused me to give her a fake sorry smile. Nico looked over at me, raising an eyebrow, which I shrugged to. I grabbed my sword again, and stabbed the crap out of another dummy.

"You know, after the war, you should get a therapist or something," Hunter told me.

"I take great offense to that, but … it's true." I said, picking up one of the rambunctious wolf kids and placing him onto my hip. "Now, buddy, would you like some candy?"

The pups stopped and stared at me then began screaming, "YES! GIVE US CANDY!" I smiled, "Follow me, then."

I took the three kids with us to my cabin, where I hid my stash of candy. I pulled out three Hershey bars for all of them and tossed one to Hunter, also. He stared at it as if it were a stick of dynamite.

"What?" I asked. "Oh, can you guys not eat chocolate? Gods, I should've known! Dogs can't eat it, either!" I groaned, but stopped when I saw that the pups were eating it just the same.

"No. The dog rules don't apply to wolf hybrids, since wolves are older and because we're half human. But … why would you give hyper pups _candy? _To make my job harder?" Hunter asked, staring at the kids who were jittery and running around in circles.

"Um… This is one of the reasons why I never took up on babysitting," I said, hoping that explained everything.

I picked up one of my Heroes of Olympus books and leafed through it. It was of The Lost Hero, when they meet Midas for the first time. I stopped suddenly, rereading it over and over and over.

Was it just me or was I seeing things? No. I was positive that this hadn't been in it before.

There was note in Rick Riordan's handwriting, right when the chapter began. It read:

Dear Kayla,

_I haven't talked to you since this happened, but I want you to know that I'm rooting on you. The entire fate of 7 million people is on your shoulders (no pressure or anything,) and _you _are their savior. You're a hero, maybe even more than your brother. You'll have to make major sacrifices just like Percy did, but don't let Gaea get to you. She'll use your fatal flaw and fears against you but make sure you remember that she doesn't control you. You are not a pawn of the gods._

_Sincerely,_

_Rick Riordan_

_(PS: I've been watching your reality show. Nico? Really? Didn't know you had a thing for Goth guys… I thought you had a crush on Luke… Your blush did not go unnoticed.)_

I stared at it, reading it over a few times. She would use my fears and fatal flaw against me? I didn't even know what my fatal flaw _was! _Oh, and my crush on Luke? He's dead, there's no chance—any_ways_. Oh, and the no pressure thing? Well, Mr. Rick Riordan, I am officially stressed out, thanks a lot.

I dropped my book onto the stack of all nine of them (Ultimate Guide and Demigod Files included) and lay back on my bunk. Hunter herded the kids and left, waving and dragging behind the hyper kids.

I flopped down from my bed and put my ear buds in. I took out my sword and began to look it over, turning it and twisting it to watch it glint.

The door slammed, making me jump and drop my sword, which clattered to the ground. Nico walked in, clearly not happy.

I gave him and innocent smile. "Hey, Dead Boy! How's it hangin'?"

He gave me a glare as he stood there, tapping his foot on a pile of crumpled papers. I rolled my eyes, pausing Emergency by Steve Rushton, and looking at Nico expectantly.

"Why did you try maiming Brittany?" Nico asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh, she has a name, does she?" I asked, sitting up on the top bunk.

He glared at me and I sighed. "I don't know why I did it. Maybe I'm more impulsive than I thought."

"Maybe?" Nico asked.

I glared at him, leaping from my spot on the bunk. "Look," I said, jabbing him in the chest, "I'm having enough trouble trying to memorize songs and you aren't helping. You're just making my life even harder."

"Well, you're a demigod. It wasn't supposed to be _easy._" Nico told me, staring into my eyes.

I shrugged, knowing he was right. I bit my lip, shoving my hands into my pockets. Nico stared at me a while longer, and suddenly, he was getting closer and I was, too.

He gave me a long lingering kiss, holding me close so that I could smell his cologne. My fingers ran through the tangles in his brown hair until he finally pulled away. He stared me in the eyes, as he said, "I've been wanting to do that for a while." He was silent, his eyes cast down.

"Nico," I said slowly. He looked up to meet my gaze.

"Wait," he said, holding up a hand. "I know you're going through a lot and that I haven't made it any easier, but I will. I'm going to help you as much as I can, okay? I swear on the River Styx."

I looked at him. "Nico—"

He shook his head, placing his forehead against mine. "I've already sworn. I'll help you as much as I can. I promise."

"And you're calling _me _impulsive?" I asked him, which received a chuckle and a kiss.

"What I said yesterday … I didn't mean it—no, I didn't _say _it." He watched me, as he continued, "Does that make sense at all?"

"Not really. So… you didn't say those things?" I asked.

"No—at least I didn't think them. Is that weird?" Nico asked, staring into my eyes.

"I guess not, but I'm still confused. Are you saying… you were _possessed?_"

Nico shrugged. "If ghosts and gods and monsters are all real, how hard is it to believe that there are demons, too?"

My mind flashed to the Kane Chronicles, to the demons with the chicken legs and the heads of animals. Was it possible for them to just … possess whoever and whatever they wanted? I thought the Kanes had gotten Set on their side, hadn't they?

"It's not that crazy, Nico," I told him, to reassure him. He nodded, giving me a squeeze.

"What do you think is going to happen?" He asked me.

"About what? The war?" I asked.

He nodded, so I continued, "Honestly, I don't know. But, I'm going to do my best to save as many people as I can, whether they're good or bad."

"You can't save _everybody,_" Nico reminded me.

I nodded, giving him a long kiss, but thinking of his words. _You can't save everybody. _No, I couldn't save everyone, but I was going to try as hard as I could, no matter what the consequences.

That's what a real hero would do, isn't it? Put other people before themselves?

That was my plan and I was sticking to it.

Yay! Two in one week! This is great! I'm on a roll! Who else is proud of me?

**Oh my gods. We just had one of those tornado sirens go off (for a siren testing), and I'm one of those stupid people who walk outside to hear better and look around at the sky, dumbfounded like, "Wow! Listen to the noises go, 'Woooooooohh!'"**

**Man, sometimes I'm stupider than Percy. **

**Guess what? I'm going to Dave & Buster's in a few hours! Woot! **

**Happy Easter Weekend—because I'm too lazy to actually type that on the actual day! **

**Review, please!**


	13. A Godly Reunion Of Sorts

**Oh my gods. The moon is SO pretty! I just noticed that it was full.**

**Apollo's POV:**

I shook my tangled blonde curls as I rubbed my eyes, blinking at the sudden light in my children's cabin. I blinked repeatedly, hearing one of my kids' shout, "Dad! Rise and shine! Get off your lazy butt!"

I rolled over on my bed, slamming a pillow over my head. "Five more minutes, please," I murmured, "The world can wait."

"No, it can't, Dad," Will shouted, pushing me from the bed, until I smacked onto the wood floor.

"Will, seriously?" I groaned, rolling over to glare at one of my oldest sons.

He shrugged. "You're going to burn the entire world and kill everyone."

I sighed, struggling to stand up. "Well, I guess Santa's getting a taste of global warming." I snapped my fingers, changing into a pair of jeans and a yellow shirt that said **I'm Hotter Than The Sun. **

Will rolled his brilliant blue eyes. "Ego much, Dad?"

I punched him lightly in the arm, looking around at all of my kids. "Who wants to part-tay?" I asked, causing them to erupt into cheers and whoops.

I opened my cabin door, leading my large army of blonde-haired music-loving kids behind. I met up with the rest of the gods and ruffled my sister's hair. "Hey, Arty! Are you ready for some tunes?"

She rolled her silver eyes, but couldn't help but suppress a small smile.

I rushed up behind Hermes and put him in a headlock. Hermes shoved me away, causing me to shove him back. We started to bicker and kick, while Ares had turned around and started yelling to his kids, "Watch this! Nothing like watching your family fight, I always say!"

Hera rushed in and shoved us apart. "Boys! You're acting like five year-olds! Be role models!"

Hermes jabbed a finger in my direction. "_He _started it."

"_You _stole my freaking cows," I snarled at him.

"That was like, five thousand years ago!" Hermes seethed.

"I'm still mad!" I shouted, throwing my arms up in the air.

"I was a _toddler! _I didn't know any better!" Hermes countered.

"You knew enough to craft a freaking lyre out of a tortoise shell!" I yelled. "_I _can't even do that!"

"You don't even know what a tortoise is!" Hermes countered.

"Yeah, I do," I argued. "Isn't it a fancy caramel chocolate with these cute little nuts?"

Athena marched over, her arms full of scrolls, as she told us, "Boys, a tortoise is a land-dwelling type of turtle."

"Smart-ass," Hermes and I mumbled under our breaths.

Athena stopped, slid a spear from one of the larger scrolls, and turned toward us, her gray eyes glittering with malice. "_What _did you say?"

"I said … I love you more than Narcissus loves himself?" I asked, not wanting to get stabbed so early in the morning.

"That's what I thought," Athena chimed, allowing for the spear to dissipate into a flock of silver-beaked gray owls, which fluttered off into the sky.

I sighed in relief, while Ares and his kids groaned, slumping and walking off to go beat up some dummies. Hera wagged her finger at us with a disapproving expression, turning on her heel to walk off to meet up with some goddesses for some … 'girl talk'—gross.

I turned to my half-brother. "Sorry, man. Are you still freaking over your son?"

Hermes rolled his eyes, taking out his cell phone with the intertwined snakes—George and Martha. Martha curved her head in Hermes's direction, saying with her reptilian voice, _You have 29 missed calls and 309 emails._

_Aren't you popular today? _George asked snidely.

Martha whipped her tail, smacking George's snout. _Don't be rude, George._

_Well, I _still _haven't gotten my damn rats from that Percy Jackson character. I think I have the right to be a little peeved. It's been almost 5 years! _George spat, wriggling on the cell phone's antenna.

Hermes sighed, dialed a number, and tuned in his blue tooth. "Hey, Iris," he said, "could you find someone to send the mail today? We're having a … family reunion, of sorts."

Iris' perky voice was muffled on the other end.

"Thanks," Hermes ended the call, turning to me. "Hey, bro? Can we … not talk about Aaron today?"

"No prob," I said, waving my hand as if waving away the subject. "Hey, wanna help me set up the screens for Kayla's sing-a-thon?"

Hermes shrugged, calling up his large group of kids. They all ran around with my kids and Hephaestus', setting up chairs, gigantic screens, and amplifiers.

We were almost finished when Chiron came trotting over, rather excitedly for a horseman his age. "Places, gods, demigods, satyrs, spirits!" He clapped his hands together, as if saying, _Chop, chop! _"Rick Riordan is showing up today, and we do not to look bad! He _does _make books about us and helps sell the strawberries!"

Zeus took stride beside Hera, taking her hand as they waited. Poseidon stood on Zeus's left, standing beside Percy and Tyson, his tan arms around their firm shoulders. Hades stood on Hera's right, standing alone since Nico was at the warrior camp. Demeter stood beside Hades (much to her distaste), but her children waited patiently. Hestia probed the hearth's glowing embers, making the fire grow to almost three feet. On Demeter's right, stood Ares and his glaring kids. Hephaestus and his children seemed rather wary. Hermes and all of his children were grinning and whispering about all of the money this guy must've had in his pockets to make so many books. I stood with my kids, smiling our pearly white grins and ruffling their blonde locks. Athena stood on the other side of us, with all of her curly blonde-haired gray-eyed kids. Dionysus stood beside his only Greek son, a Diet Coke can being crushed in his vise-like grip, his purple-tinted black curls dipping into his bloodshot eyes; all of the satyrs stood behind him, nervously clopping their hooves. Artemis stood in front of her group of Hunters, which included Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus.

Rick Riordan was escorted from the taxi of the Gray Sisters, looking rather green. Argus walked him through the boundary, meeting us. Rick sighed, holding onto his stomach, "And, _this _is why I stopped taking rides from immortals." He looked up, smiling, then caught Percy's eye.

"Ah, Percy Jackson—the boy of my fame! Your story was very amusing to write about! I loved your thoughts!" He saw Annabeth in the corner of his eye. "Are you two dating yet, or do I have to bring in _The Lost Hero_?"

Percy and Annabeth blushed, causing Aphrodite and her kids to coo. Athena and Poseidon rolled their eyes distastefully.

Rick grinned, but it faded when he looked at Zeus's expression. "Let's get down to business, mortal," Zeus boomed.

"Mortal?" Rick seemed appalled. "I'm actually considered the god of literacy back home."

Zeus ignored his comment. "This is about Kayla West, not about your books, sir. She is at the warrior camp and you know her future, do you not? Explain, please."

Rick looked at all of the gods and goddesses, landing on me. "Well, can't Apollo tell you? He _is _the god of prophecy."

I glanced at my father uneasily. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't force a prophecy—it came at its own equally awkward time—like a fart. Okay, that wasn't the best simile, but it is pretty similar.

Ares rolled his eyes, walking closer to me. I backed up, narrowing my blue eyes at him. "I will squeeze that damn prophecy out of you, Blondie," Ares snarled, cracking his knuckles.

I turned on my heel and ran away from him. "No! Don't touch me! Get away!" I screamed as I waved my arms over my head, ducking behind Artemis.

"Shoot him with your arrow, Arty! Right between the eyes!" I told her urgently, miming shooting an arrow with a bow.

She stepped aside, turning to Ares. "He's all yours," she said.

"Ah!" I yelped as Ares tackled me, wrapping his huge python-arms around my chest, squeezing and pushing on my stomach, probably bursting my internal organs—but hey, I was immortal! Like I actually needed those!

"Get off of me, you big tub of lard!" I shouted, giving him a nice-sized red shoe print on his cheek. Ares' eyes exploded with anger as he got me into a headlock and dragged me back to the group, shoving me on the dirty ground in front of Rick.

"Prophecy. Now, pretty boy," Ares roared.

I closed my eyes, thinking of anything related to Kayla. When I opened one of my eyes, all three large screens filled with Grandmother's face greeted me.

Grandmother smiled, her muddy eyes fully open. "Ah! Hello! Long time, no see, huh, kids?"

Poseidon, Zeus, Hades, Demeter and Hera grumbled their displeasure. Hestia pretended not to realize that Gaea had just taken control of our channels.

"So, what would you like to see? Kayla's fate, perhaps? Ah, the poor dear. Two fatal flaws, hmm? Tsk, tsk," Gaea turned away, snapping her fingers. "How about her nightmare? Gotta love those."

We watched Kayla in the center of the top of a mountain, her sword in her hand as she looked around. She narrowed her hazel eyes, twirling the hilt of her sword as she took in her surroundings.

Lyrics started to boom from the speakers—she must've been listening to an iPod.

_I remembered black skies, the lightning all around me,_

As if on cue, lightning flashed behind her, rippling the black canvas of the sky. Rain began to downpour, dousing her.

_I remembered each flash, as time began to blur,_

_Like a starling sign, that Fate had finally found me,_

The piercing snip of shears cutting a strand of yarn caused everyone to share a shiver.

_And your voice was all I heard, that I get what I deserve._

_So give me reason, to prove me wrong, to wash this memory clean!  
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_Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes,_

_Give me reason to fill this hole, connect the space between,_

_Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies,_

_Across this new divide!_

Kayla suddenly whipped her head to the side, looking slightly dazed.

_There was nothing in sight, but memories left abandoned,_

_There was nowhere to hide; the ashes fell like snow,_

She started to back away from whatever was in front of her—whatever we couldn't see.

_And, the ground caved in between where we were standing,_

Gaea's laughter rippled through the forest, and suddenly, a large crack broke through underneath her, causing her to lose her sword as it tumbled down the chasm with a few clanks. Kayla yelped in pain as her leg smashed into one of the jagged edges of the spiky cliff, clawing at rocks at the top to not tumble down into the endless darkness.

_And, your voice was all I heard, that I get what I deserve,_

_So give me reason, to prove me wrong!_

_To wash this memory clean!_

_Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes, across this new divide!_

Kayla lost hold and tumbled down, causing us all to sit there, shocked beyond words.

_In every loss,_

Darkness exploded in front of our eyes, but it fizzled out to show the faces of all of the kids we'd lost in the battle of the Titans—and before that, too.

Faces drifted by, and I recognized some. Beckendorf, the son of Hephaestus who left on a suicide bombing on the Princess Andromdea. Silena Beauregard, the daughter of Aphrodite, who'd, sacrificed herself at the very end. My son, Lee Fletcher, who'd been clubbed over the head by a Cyclops. My other son, Michael Yew, who'd disappeared during the battle and never come back. Luke Castellan, the boy who'd helped Kronos rise, but who'd killed himself to stop his rein of terror and death. Face after face flew by, causing some of us to tear up, to look away.

_In every lie,_

_In every truth that you deny,_

_In each regret,_

_In each good-bye,_

_Was a mistake too great to hide!_

_And, your voice was all I heard,_

_That I get what I deserve…_

_So, give me reason to prove me wrong,_

_To wash this memory clean,_

_Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes._

_Give me reason to fill this hole,_

_Connect the space between, _

_Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies,_

_Across this new divide!_

The screens blacked out, finally showing Kayla on her bed, Aaron and Nico holding onto her, soothing her as she cried.

The screens darkened, blinking off, canceling the connection.

We all stood there, feeling the blow of the message. It meant that … Gaea was powerful enough to mess with Kayla's dreams—our heads. What would happen if it got bad enough that … the dreams were _real? _

I honestly (wow. That's only a pun that the god of truth can make,) don't want to find out.

**Okay, I absolutely love Apollo's POV. It's just weird and random and crazy, which is what I like—it reminds me of me. Dang, three times this week. I am officially awesome to the max (do not tell me that only non-awesome people brag about themselves).**

**Happy Easter! And, (sad face), I have school tomorrow. But, I should look on the bright side (haha, Apollo's bright…) the faster the school year goes, the closer I am to summer and Greek myths.**

**11 more days till my birthday! Woot!**

**I don't own PJO or any of the songs I post in my story. **

**Boo-to-the-yah! ~ILoveLukeC**


	14. Ready or Not, Here She Comes

**Kayla's POV:**

I stood behind a giant curtain, a microphone gripped in my fist, turning my knuckles white.

Lucas and an Apollo kid rushed over. Lucas told me, "I've set up all the electronics and amplifiers and microphones. You should be hooked up. What song are you starting with?"

"Um… Holding Out For A Hero," I told them.

"Nervous?" The Apollo camper asked. I nodded meekly.

"Just imagine everybody in his or her underwear," He told me, as he grabbed a guitar and gave it a few strums, tuning it to the specified tune-age, I guess.

"But… Then I'm out of place because I have clothes on," I said. "Either I'll freak out over that or burst out laughing."

The Apollo camper rolled his eyes. "Look, just don't pay attention to everybody else. They don't matter. What _does _matters are you and your voice."

He patted me on the shoulder, following the back-up singers and other band members to the stage. Nico and Aaron met up me before I followed them.

Nico grinned at me. "Don't crack!"

Aaron rolled his eyes, turning to stare at me. "You'll do great."

All I could do was give a tiny shrug, before I was called onto stage.

Lights flashed and blazed into my eyes, blinding me for a moment. Someone's voice—the DJ's?—sounded over the mic, saying, "And, here she is! The Pandorian! The voice of the warrior camp! Enjoy yourselves people! We've got drinks for later, as well as free condoms for all the couples that want to _enjoy themselves. _But, remember! There's no maternity leave when you're at war!" The DJ's laughter boomed loudly, like he really thought he was funny or something.

Suddenly, all spotlights were on me, including every single person's trained eyes. "Uh…" My stomach twisted into knots, like when you're shoelaces get knotted and you can't seem to untie it, no matter how hard you try.

"I'm going to sing Holding Out For A Hero by Tara Leigh Cobble," I said, finding my voice.

The music started to play, first with the strumming of the guitars to the chorus.

"_Where have all the good men gone,_

_And where are the gods?_

_Where's the street-wise Hercules _

_To fight the rising odds?_

_Isn't there a white knight,_

_Upon a fiery steed?_

_Late at night, I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need!"_

There were some 'yeahs!' and whoops from the crowd.

"_I need a hero!_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night!_

_And he's gotta be strong,_

_And he's gotta be fast,_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight!"_

Everybody started to get into it, singing along, which helped me gain confidence.

"_I need a hero!_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light!_

_And he's gotta be sure,_

_And he's gotta be soon,_

_And he's gotta be larger than life!"_

Strobe lights exploded behind me, casting red and blue and yellow arks of light past me and into the crowd. A waterfall backdrop glowed luminously behind me, causing my hair to glint with a twinge of blue.

"_Somewhere after midnight, in my wildest fantasies,_

_Somewhere just beyond my reach there's someone reaching back for me,_

_Racing on the thunder!"_

On cue, thunder shook the sky with a deafening rumble.

"_Rising with the heat!_

_It's gonna take a Superman to sweep me off my feet!_

_I need a hero!_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night!_

_And he's gotta be fast,_

_And he's gotta be strong,_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight!_

_I need a hero!_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light!_

_And he's gotta be sure,_

_And he's gotta be soon,_

_And he's gotta be larger than life!" _

Everyone was cheering by now, watching as lightning crackled across the black fabric of the sky, cutting it into pieces with its fingerlike arks of electricity—but there was no rain. It was like a heat storm.

"_Up where the mountains meet the heavens above,_

_Up where the lightning splits the sea!_

_I could swear there's someone—somewhere—watching me!_

_Through the wind,_

_And the chill,_

_And the rain,_

_Through the storm,_

_And the flood,_

_I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood!_

_I need a hero!_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the light!_

_And he's gotta be strong,_

_And he's gotta be fast,_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight!"_

Everyone was singing along this time, our voices one, more powerful than the first lone voice—because now their were numbers on our side.

"_I need a hero!_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light!_

_And he's gotta be strong,_

_And he's gotta be fast,_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight!_

_And he's gotta be sure,_

_And he's gotta be soon,_

_And he's gotta be larger than life!_

_I need a hero!"_

The music ended and was greeted by the crazy applause from the crowd. Whistles shot from the crowd, as I smiled, and said into the mic, "There's more where that came from."

**Hunter's POV:**

I rushed between the trees, panicked. I could see lights blazing through the trees' growth, through the leaves like the moon's slanted pale rays. "Crap," I cursed under my breath, morphing into a wolf to dash through the trees and dodge the stumps.

I leapt onto a cliff and saw the pack growling at each other. I jumped down, being greeted by the snarling pack leader.

"Where have you been?" He barked, his black ears swiveling like radar.

I gave a pathetic whimper, "Watching the show."

The leader's black eyes flashed, as he got in closer, baring his teeth so that I could smell his putrid breath. "Watching the show?_ Watching the show_!"

I tucked my tail between my legs, drooping my head. The leader breathed heavily, glaring at me with his stone-cold eyes.

The rest of the pack nervously twitched and watched tensely. They could tell that there was going to be a fight, probably with a bunch of biting and snarling and spitting.

The leader kept his cool, breathing in and out. He snapped, "There's nothing to see here," which caused the rest of the pack to slowly filter off.

I tried to blend into the group of wolves, but he said, "Not you, Hunter."

I turned around, glancing at him. The leader walked up to me slowly.

He stared me in the eyes. "Pup, I need to tell you this now. If you so far as _act _as if you are working with the enemy, I will have no other choice than to kick you out of the pack."

"Why? When did we start caring about what Mother Earth thinks, huh?" I snarled back.

The wolf's eyes darkened dramatically. "Ever since the wolves' very existence was thrown into the mix."

I stared at him. "You mean…"

"Yes. If we do not obey, more animals will become extinct. All because of one goddess whom wishes for revenge, even though the world repeats itself."

"So… she'll lose?"

"She'll try everything in her power to keep her rein on Earth. Whatever it takes, she'll break the gods' will to go on. She'll find their mortal flaw, in this case, a certain demigod." The leader concluded.

I felt a sickening feeling drop in my stomach, like a heavy freezing stone.

This wasn't going to end well.

**Jeez. How long have I not updated? I feel really bad about not updating _anything _for a while. My updating schedule's pretty backed up, like one of those stupid printers that gets jammed and eats up your paper because you're trying to rip it out of its teeth. **

**My new obsession? One Direction.**

**Holy mother of Zeus. That rhymed!**

**At school, we just finished The Outsiders in English. It was really good, but our teacher hasn't brought in the movie yet, so I'm getting kind of anxious about it. Also, we started Holes in Reading, and I was supposed to only read to chapter 7 and I'm on chapter 23… Oh well. Close enough.**

**Guess what? We started Greek mythology in English a few days ago! We're doing a research project on our favorite god so I chose Apollo. **

**Here are some random Apollo facts—**

**He falls in love _way _too easily. Cassandra, Daphne, Cyene, Hecuba, etc.**

**He also fell in love with guys. There was a Spartan prince he liked, named Hyancinthus, but the East Wind liked him too. Apollo and the prince were throwing discus (or something that starts with a –d) and the East Wind changed the trajectory and it smashed into Hyancinthus' skull.**

**Another guy was named Cyparissus. As a love token, Apollo gave him a deer. Cyparissus was throwing spears while the deer was sleeping a bush. By total chance (coughcough Fates coughcough) the spear impaled the deer, killing it. In grief, Cyparissus told Apollo he wanted to die and wanted his tears to rain on the Earth. In memory, Apollo created the Cypress tree, which produces sap in the shape of teardrops. Clever, huh? But… incredibly tragic.**

**I need to go to Barnes & Nobles and get The Serpent's Shadow. Is it any good— who am I kidding? —Rick's books are _always _good!**

**Leave a review, please. **


	15. The Man With The Vunerable Heel

**Gaea's POV:**

I sat upon my earthen throne, a growl escaping my throat. My fingernails dug into the vine-covered armrests, as I watched the screen that was glowing from underneath a thin crust of earth below mysandaled feet.

They were _dancing. _They were _singing, laughing, and having a good time. _

War was just around the corner. Why were they so… _happy?_

I scowled at the video footage. I looked up when I heard footsteps.

Three giants made of rusty-red clay slowly walked forward. They looked incredibly nervous—which they should have felt anyways.

The largest one rung his hands together, causing a few of his fingers to grow dry and crack off. "Lady Earth," He murmured in his raspy voice, glancing at me uncertainly with his eye-slits.

I waved my hand impatiently. "What is the news?"

"The Pandorian is getting the warriors on her side," He said quickly. "She's more persuasive than we thought."

I scoffed loudly. "That cursed goddess of beauty must have given her Charmspeaking abilities!"

The smallest giant said, "We have good news, though, Lady Earth."

"_Good _news?" I asked, suddenly interested.

"Yes," The smallest giant chirped.

"The young man you wished for—" the largest giant tried to speak.

"The one with the vulnerable heel—" the medium-sized giant shouted.

"He has been reborn!" The smallest finished.

I smiled evilly. "Achilles has been reborn, has he?"

"Yes!" They all chorused.

"He will be a great addition to the camp, don't you think?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

I stood up from my throne, looking down to the screen in the floor. Kayla's face appeared, as she sang a set of lyrics.

I flicked my wrist, causing a torrent of vines to wrap around the screen, crushing it underneath its vise-like grip. I scowled at the uprooted earth that now lied in the screens' place.

I turned around, my earthen robes spinning around me, cutting through the air like knives through warm butter. "Any news on Kronos?" I asked, trying to change the subject from my devious plan.

"No. He's become too weak from his departure last year," the largest giant explained.

"How about the reborn form of Uranus?" I tried to keep the slight envy and distaste from the tone of my voice.

"He hasn't been spotted yet, either," the medium-sized giant spoke.

"Great," I groaned. "I destroy him once, and I can never get him back. If only Kronos hadn't taken my advice and chopped him up with his scythe…"

"Lady Earth," the smallest piped up. "What are you going to do with the young man when you find him?"

"You'll just have to wait and see…" I said, smiling deviously.

**Kayla's POV:**

"_Everybody's waiting, _

_Everybody's watching,_

_Even when you're sleeping,_

_Keep your eyes, eyes_

_Open._

_The tricky thing, _

_Is yesterday we were just children,_

_Playing soldiers,_

_Just pre-tending,_

_Dreaming dreams with happy endings._

_In backyards, _

_Winning battles with our wooden swords,_

_But, now we've stepped into a cruel world,_

_Where everybody stands and keeps score—_

_Keep your eyes open!"_

I poured my heart into the song, knowing and dreading how much it felt like what was happening at this moment. Everyone was watching her—strangers, family, friends, enemies, and allies.

"_Everybody's waiting for you to break down,_

_Everybody's watching to see the fallout,_

_Even when you're sleeping, sleeping,_

_Keep your eyes, eyes_

_Open!_

_Keep your eyes, eyes open!_

_Keep your eyes, eyes open!_

_Keep your eyes, eyes open!_

_So here you are,_

_Two steps ahead and saying, 'Uhn guard!'_

_Every lesson forms a new star,_

_They never thought we'd get this far!_

_But turn around,_

_[turn around]_

_They've surrounded you!_

_It's a showdown,_

_[showdown]_

_And nobody comes to save you now…_

_But you've got something they don't,_

_Yeah you got something they don't,_

_You just gotta keep your eyes open!"_

Everybody seemed to love it. They were cheering, screaming along to lyrics, clearly drunk on the excitement or the occasional drinks that were passed around to the older warriors.

"_Everybody's waiting for you to break down,_

_Everybody's watching to see the fallout, _

_Even when you're sleeping, sleeping,_

_Keep your eyes, eyes_

_Open!_

_Keep your eyes, eyes open!_

_Keep your eyes, eyes open!_

_Keep your feet ready,_

_Heartbeat steady,_

_Keep your eye-es o-pen!_

_Keep your aim locked,_

_The night goes dark,_

_Kee-ee-eep your eye-es o-pen!_

_[keep your eye-es open!]_

_[keep your eye-es open!]_

_[keep your eye-es open!]_

_Everybody's waiting for you to break down,_

_Everybody's watching to see the fallout,_

_Even when you're sleeping, sleeping,_

_Keep your eye-eyes o-pen!_

_Keep your eyes open,_

_Keep your eye-eyes open!_

_Keep your eyes open,_

_Keep your eye-eyes open!"_

Suddenly, a thunderous crack exploded through the air, screeching through my ears. I yelped along with a bunch of other warriors, as I gripped my ears with my hands.

I looked down at the ground, which was splitting large crack grew, snapping through the brittle ground below the stage, trailing up the black stairway to the stage, and breaking apart the stage until thin cracks were underneath my shoes.

They went past my feet, arcing through the space between my legs and tinkling backstage, behind the curtain. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I heard someone scream.

Looking at it now, I really shouldn't have moved at all, toward the scream or anyone else. But, then again, I was planning on helping someone in trouble—and I'd do anything to help anyone who was in desperate need.

I took out my sword, allowing it to materialize, before I looked around wildly. Something had come out of the crack, something big and mean and nasty…

People were freaking out, since half of them were drunk and a third of them were barely ten. The older, more stable kids were taking the others back to their cabins, fending off monsters with their weapons before anyone could get hurt.

I jumped off the stage, grabbing three seven year-olds and taking them to a girl my age. I dropped them off with her group and instructed her to take them somewhere safe. She nodded, grouping her own group with three smaller ones.

I heard the scream again. A panicked, tortured scream of someone incredibly scared and pained.

I rushed toward the noise, my sword raised, as I slowly walked toward the noise. It was in the woods, which was illuminated by the strobe lights from the stage. I walked through a small bushel of foliage, glancing around the woods uneasily.

I entered a path in the woods, hearing the scream again.

It was definitely a man's. He sounded incredibly hurt, and every time he screamed, I only felt even guiltier on how I wasn't there to help him.

His scream echoed through my ears, and I couldn't take it anymore.

I rushed toward the noise, crouching against the bark of a tree.

A young man with light ginger hair was pinned to the ground by leathery green vines. He was breathing heavily, cursing colorfully as he tried to break his bonds.

Two large mud-soaked giants stood over him, beside a cackling fire. Its orange sparks burst and flew onto nearby foliage, igniting scraggly weeds and patches of grass.

"You do not know who you are, do you?" One asked coldly, his mud-skin turning into dirt from the intense heat of the fire.

"No! I don't know what you're freaking talking about!" The ginger screamed at the top of his lungs, raging even more than the fire.

"You do know what we're speaking of! Don't lie, son of Peleus and Theitis!" The other giant yelled.

"I don't know what you're talking about! My dad's a lawyer and my mom's dead, for crying out loud!" The ginger screamed back.

The giants didn't like that answer. They picked a stick from the ground, burned the tip in the licking flames, and placed it to his left ankle. He writhed in pain as the tip burned against the bone of his ankle, training to his heel.

He lurched his back, screaming in deathly pain.

I leapt from my spot, hurling my sword through the air. It went through the drying giant, breaking his brittle skin, causing him to burst into yellow dust.

The other giant turned, throwing the burnt stick toward me. I ducked, hearing it smack into the tree I'd once hid behind.

"Pandorian," the giant snarled. "How nice to see you. Here to save someone else, Hero?"

I glared daggers at the giant with my eyes, causing it to shudder. "Let him go," I ordered icily.

"Make me," It growled.

I narrowed my eyes. I felt a tug in my gut. I knew what was going to happen.

And, before anyone could react, I heard a roar in my ears as water flowed uphill, flushing past trees and brush to make a wall behind me. A wall of water.

I was officially completely badass.

**Review please!**


	16. Reborn Heroes

**Jordan's POV:**

The crazy girl with the whole water-controlling powers was glowering at the freaky talking mud man. It reminded me of a bizarre R. L. Stine book—the one with the mud monsters that came to life and chased this kid and his friends. I hadn't read it in a long time, but it still struck me as something like that—crazy, scary and totally pant-wetting worthy.

My arm veins were on the verge of popping out of my arms, as I strained against the vine tendrils. My wrists had red lines indented into them, but they weren't bleeding. The thing that was close to bleeding was my ankle.

The point of the stick was burned into my ankle, trailing super close to my heel. It stung, as if a million hornets had injected miniature venom-spikes into it, enough to kill me if the venom entered my bloodstream.

The mud monster glanced uneasily at the towering water wave, but turned his expression back to stone. The girl flicked her wrist, causing a torrent of water to flash forward, causing the monster to explode into wet dirt.

Mud splattered on my face, and I coughed loudly, trying to hack out a wad of watery dirt from my mouth. The girl ran over to me, the water wall dying down to a small drizzle of rain.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" She asked, taking a sword from her boot and cutting the vines from my wrists and ankles.

"Nothing like almost getting blowtorched by mud men to give you a fantastic Friday night," I spat sarcastically, rubbing my wrists as I glanced at the burned indention in my ankle.

My fingers brushed over it, my nails dipping into the indentions of each letter. Achilleus—Achilles.

I suddenly remembered. My mouth grew dry, my vision went black, and my fingers were pressing into the skin of my ankle, and if I hadn't been invulnerable, I would've drawn blood.

_I was standing back behind lines and lines of warriors, wearing my best friend's armor, pretending to be Patroclus. The real Patroclus was standing before me, wearing my new armor, the armor Hephtaeus had crafted. _

_Had I seen it, I would've stopped Hector. I would've killed him before his weapon got even close to Patroclus. But, I was feet away, too far to help him…_

_He fell to the ground, dead, dying, coated in his own rusty blood. My best friend, who'd been there for everything, and wouldn't get to see us win the damn war that he'd risked his life for…_

_Red-rimmed rage coated my vision, as the scene replayed in my mind. The spear crushing the armor, poking out through Patroclus' back, as he fell to the ground, painting it a ruby red. Hector—laughing heroically, as if it were some big feat to kill someone who had actually been brave enough to push someone as invulnerable as I, and take my fate for me._

_Before I knew it, I was killing everyone. My own warriors, the opposing warriors, my lovers, anyone I could possibly find. My eyes met the black, frightened gaze of Hector and I gripped my spear._

_There was only one thought on my mind. _

_Kill the sick bastard._

_I chased Hector three times around the wall of Troy, threatening and spitting curses his way. Hector kept running, like a scared little girl, until he stopped, chatting with his older brother who (what do you know?) turned out to be Athena._

_I killed him then. Straightforward but deliberately slowly, the way Patroclus was killed. _

_But, before he died, he looked me in the eyes, and whispered, "Stay away from the arrows, Achilles. Keep your heel invulnerable, or you're going to end up like me. Dead and nothing but a murderer."_

_The prophecy came true. Apollo (curse him) had helped Paris notch the arrow, aim it directly at my heel, and to shoot it with god-like accuracy. _

_And I'd been dead. Until this moment, where I'd been given a chance to right my amends._

The girl was shaking me. "_Heeelllooo? _I'm talking to you!" She knocked on my forehead with her fist. "Anybody home?"

I slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me, mortal."

"_Mortal?_" She asked, her eyes growing narrowed. "I'm a _demigod_. And, what are you? Some annoying little ginger who has flashbacks and yells at me like _I'm _the problem."

"Sorry," I replied. "I was just…"

"Oh my god! What the Hades is that?" The girl shrieked, pointing behind me.

I turned my head, catching the ruby-eyed gaze of something a lot bigger than the two of us.

"I don't know. Do you know how to use those water powers you've got?" I asked the girl.

She nodded, placing her hand on the ground to cause an orb to form in the palm of her hand.

"Great," I said. "Let's kick some monster ass."

**Nico's POV:**

It was incredibly dark in the safe house we'd all crowded in. It wasn't even much of a safe house, just an oddly angled brown wooden barn-like structure tossed to the side of the camp, with an underground railroad where we were all trying to stand in.

The counselors were rushing around, counting off how many people were there. I spotted Aaron scribbling on a sheet of paper in his hand.

I ran over to him. "Hey, Aaron, have you seen Kayla?" I asked.

He looked up from his sheet, worry reflecting in his eyes. "No, I haven't," he said, "She didn't follow you?"

"No," I said. "It was too hysteric to try and find her in the crowd."

Aaron bit the end of his eraser on his pencil. "Do you think she's still out there?"

"Maybe," I said slowly.

"We'd better check," Aaron said, placing the paper in the hands of a counselor walking by.

"What do you mean by 'we'?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"I mean, we are both going to get her," Aaron snapped.

"I work better alone…" I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

"Oh, I can totally tell. You almost die every time you're left alone!" Aaron huffed angrily.

"That was only twice!" I snapped back.

_Well, four times if you think of all the times you got saved by Percy, _A pestering voice reminded me in my head.

_Shut up, _I thought bitterly.

"Fine," I growled. "Just don't get in my way, or I won't stop my skeletons from tearing you limb-from-limb."

"Likewise," Aaron said, hefting his spear in his hand as we walked up to the rickety old elevator and made a mad dash for the woods.

I had an incredibly bad feeling that she'd be there.

**Kayla's POV:**

I snapped my fingers, turning the orb into a long, slender hard-water sword. I pressed my lips against the cool hilt, breathing life into it.

Yeah, that's another thing that's amazing about being the Pandorian. Being the first woman created, you can give life to inanimate objects and animate objects that used to obtain life. Awesome, right?

The sword hummed in my hand, glowing blindly. The monster slithered out from behind the trees, tilting its heads to take in the blue light.

Wait a second. _Slithered? Heads?_

My eyes grew wide as I took in the huge, female hydra. Its scaly skin was orange-tinted; its five pairs of ruby eyes sparking like coals. Its five pairs of teeth were placed in odd places in its gums, growing crooked and glinting off the blue light, as if the teeth were shards of glass.

Achilles stood in front of me, holding his own sword, one that had materialized out of the air. It was a blessing from Athena, no doubt about it, considering how we could hear owls hooting in the distance.

The middle hydra blew out a puff of fire, scorching the bark of a few trees.

"That is mahogany!" I shouted angrily.

All five heads seemed to chuckle.

"Two reborn heroes," One of them hissed. "Pandora and Achilles."

"You're Pandora?" Achilles asked, turning around and gaping at me.

I waved my hand in the air. "Yeah. First woman created and all of that."

He stared at me. "I'm… truly sorry about calling you a mortal."

"No problem," I said, shrugging. "It's not that bad of an insult."

"You have no idea," He said, laughing slightly.

We readied our swords, watching the hydra's heads bob slightly as its five forked-tongues slithered through its teeth.

As the middle one let out a large breath of fire, I heard two familiar voices shout, "Kayla!"

I turned my head, watching Nico and Aaron run forward.

Achilles shoved me back, snapping his fingers to grab a shield from the air, shoving it in front of us as fire licked the bronze.

"Who are those guys?" Achilles asked, holding the burning shield against his bare arm.

"Friends," I said, gripping my sword in my hand, glancing over the top of the shield.

"How do we kill it?" A voice behind me asked.

Achilles' sword slammed against Nico's throat. "Who the hell are you?" He asked roughly.

"Correction. Who the _Hades _am I. Nice to see you again, Achilles," Nico said smoothly, pushing the sword from his throat.

"Hades?" Achilles asked, fear reflecting in his gaze.

"No," I said, cutting in. "He's Hades' son, not Hades, Hades."

Achilles visibly relaxed. "Good. I don't need a punishment for trying to slit Hades' throat."

Nico rolled his eyes, which caused Achilles to point at him. "Oh! You're that kid that helped that black-haired kid down to the Styx to turn invulnerable! I remember you! The annoying Goth kid!"

"I'm not emo, I'm—wait. You actually called me Goth!" Nico seemed quite content with his answer, ignoring the part where he was annoying.

Aaron was sitting beside him, his spear gripped in his fist.

"You guys are working together?" I asked, astonished.

They glanced at each other, shrugging. "Let's just kill something," Aaron suggested.

I turned around. "How did Percy kill the hydra?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't think he _did. _He met it with Annabeth and Tyson."

I sighed. "But, how about in the movie?"

"You're brother's a movie star?" Aaron asked me.

"I wish," I said. "They based a movie off the books about him."

I thought for a moment. "Do any of you boys have a Medusa head handy?" I asked, glancing at them.

They looked at me like I was crazy.

"Oh no," Nico said sarcastically. "I think I left them in my other pants."

I flicked him in the head. "I'm serious."

Nico bit his lip, thinking hard. "Maybe we could open up the Doors of Death and take Medusa out, one last time?" Nico suggested.

"Perfect!" I said, grinning.

"And, how will we do that?" Achilles asked, perking a red eyebrow.

I glanced at Nico. "Chop it off," We said, simply.

"You kids have fun with that," Achilles and Aaron said.

I turned to them. "You're coming with us."

"Why?" Achilles whined, starting to sound a lot less hero like.

"Well… It _is _my dad's ex-girlfriend, and… I doubt she'd be very happy to see me after what Percy did," I told them.

**Jeez. I haven't updated in forever. I'm so sorry.**

**School ends this Wednesday. I AM SO READY FOR SUMMER. YOU HAVE NO IDEA.**

**The reasons I haven't been updating are, a) schoolwork, b) stupid people getting in the way of my writing, c) studying Greek myths in English class, d) One Direction, e) writing my own 1D fanfic, f) end-of-school projects, tests, and otherwise useless things we're forced to endure and finish… that's about it.**

**I got a wattpad, cause I heard about how you can post One Direction stories up there, which I've already done. If you want to check it out, here's the link—**

**.com/4635960-when-life-gives-you-one-direction-internet**

**Review, please!**


	17. Ghostly Deaths and Medusa's Threats

**Nico's POV:**

I shadow-traveled Kayla, myself, Aaron and Achilles' new form down to the Underworld, on the banks of the River Styx, where our clothes had turned wispy and black, like real-life shadows. I turned around, beckoning for the others, walking slowly through a throng of moaning ghosts.

I ignored the hands grabbing at my clothes and my face, ducking under transparent palms and elbows. I only stopped once I'd gotten past the transparent dead onlookers.

Kayla yelped somewhere behind me. I threw my hood off, catching sight of the ghosts rushing her, moaning and whispering to her. They tried to grab her and bring her closer to them, but only groaned in frustration as their hands passed through her.

Aaron pulled out his sword, stepping in front of Kayla. "Hey!" Aaron snapped. "Back off! Clear a path!" The ghosts only got closer, angrily spitting and murmuring curse words in raspy ghostspeak.

I slammed my hand into a desolate gray building to the side of the walkway. The building cracked and began to shake, splintering up the walls. Satellites that were dangling from the ceiling began to snap and teeter over the heads of the ghosts.

The ghosts murmured nervously, glancing at the satellites uneasily. I grabbed Kayla's hand and started to walk her through the crowd, when one ghost stepped in front of me, crossing its transparent arms.

I narrowed my eyes. This was _my _domain. What the hell did this guy want?

"Get out of the way," I said, placing my hand firmly on the ghost's forearm and pushing him.

The ghost's eyes flashed red.

Okay. That was weird.

The ghost stood his ground, standing firmly in front of me.

I felt my teeth clench slightly. Something about this ghost was off. Why was he resisting direct orders, especially when they were from me?

I let go of Kayla's hand, my other hand edging toward the Stygian iron sword strapped to my belt. I glared at the ghost, spitting, "Don't resist orders. Get out of the freaking way before I drag you down to the lowest parts of Hell."

Look, I know it wasn't the _best _way I could've talked things out, but I was tired of things not going my way. All I wanted to do was help Kayla out and not let the world fall into the hands of a cranky earthen mother, and what had to happen?

People had to get in the way.

Every single time I wanted to do something right for a change, people decided to get in the damn way.

I was sick and tired of it.

The ghost didn't even seem phased by my threat. His eyes just flashed with more red light, flickering like orbs filled of liquid flame.

I gripped my sword. "Well? Move."

The ghost didn't react.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine," I snapped, "I'll just do this the hard way."

I pulled my sword from my belt, letting light glide off its wickedly sharp blade. I gripped it in my hand, glancing back at Kayla, Aaron, and Achilles' form. "Just go around us," I whispered. "The guy's a ghost. He won't interfere with the living."

"But," Kayla interrupted, "_you're _living."

I smiled. "I'm the son of Hades. It's almost as good as being dead."

And with that, I turned around and plunged the sword into the ghost's stomach, causing it to shriek, clawing at the sword. Its body began to curl up in shadows, a black hole forming in its abdomen, where oily shadows pooled out of him, blackening the cobblestones on the floor.

I pinned the ghost to the ground. "Now," I growled, "Who sent you?"

The ghost's eyes flickered. "No one," its voice moaned.

I glared into its red eyes. "Don't lie. Tell me who sent you and I won't send you down to the depths of eternal damnination," I snarled into its ear.

The ghosts' image flickered slightly, like a flame being blown out. It whispered, "Mother Earth," just as its red eyes grew as colorless and gray as the cobblestones.

I shakily stood up, sliding my sword from the ghost. The large crowd of apparitions who'd watched the scene flinched when I took a step toward them.

I glanced up to the ceiling, where the three Furies were perched in a dead weeping willow. Alecto shared an uneasy gaze with her sisters, whispering to them frantically.

I knew what they were saying. "_Hades isn't going to like this._"

I turned around, meeting the gaze of Kayla. Her face was as stony as Medusa's statues in Persephone's garden.

I suddenly felt terrible.

I'd killed a ghost. I'd lost the rest of the ghosts' trust.

Most of all… What would Bianica say about this? How would she feel? 

I stared at my sword, at the oily black shadows still slick on the blade.

_I'd killed a ghost. _

I didn't even know how you _could _kill someone who was already dead, but I had. I knew that ghost was dead and that it was all my fault.

The sword slid back into my belt. I waved my hand in the air, watching the wispy apparitions flinch and back away. "Nothing to see here," I reassured them, which only made them cower more.

I turned my back, walking up to Kayla, Aaron and Achilles.

"Let's get going," I said, breathing heavily.

Aaron stared at me, astonishment glazing over his eyes. "Did you… just _kill _a ghost?"

I shook my head; trying to deny it, make it untrue. "I-I didn't. Let's go."

Achilles' form said, "No, you definitively killed that guy. Trust me, I was dead, and I'd seen lots of people die in the Battle of Troy."

I shook my head in denial. "I didn't kill anyone. Let's just go."

Aaron began to say, "You did," but I cut him off by snarling, "_I didn't kill anybody!_"

My voice echoed off the walls of the Underworld, bouncing off the stone and dirt. I glanced up and noticed the cave where Echo's spirit now inhabited. Her wispy form shot back into the cave when my eyes glided over her.

Even _Echo _hated me.

Gods, this just became the worst day yet.

I turned around, stomping down to the entrance of Tartarus, stopping by the edge and willing the shadows to mend together to form a jail cell. Inside sat the reptilian woman whose eyes could turn you into solid stone. Medusa.

She sat cross-legged on her white-sheeted bed, her green skin glistening in the flickering torchlight. Her reptilian grin grew wider, as her forked tongue slid in between her fangs. Her long emerald snakes slithering over her face, nudging a black shadow mask over her eyes (which was a very efficient way to look at her, since her eyes couldn't see through the shadow fabric).

I took out my knife, gesturing for the three to come stand behind me.

Medusa breathed in deeply. "Demigods. How kind of you to visit me."

I had to bite my tongue. _Kind? _Bullshit. I was going to be more than _glad _to cut this monster's scaly head off.

She smiled cruelly. "Why, is a spawn of Poseidon here?"

Kayla tensed, narrowing her eyes, her hand going to the sword at her side.

"Oh, dear, please, no weapons," Medusa chided. "We don't need violence."

"Says the chick who killed hundreds of innocent people," Aaron snapped.

"Thousands, dear," Medusa hissed. "Get your facts straight."

Medusa's voice grew soft and kind again. "Kayla, dear, I'd give you my head without a fight, but the thing is… I can't."

"Why is that?" Kayla asked.

"Because, sweetie, I was promised something very dear to me," Medusa responded.

"Like what?" Kayla pestered.

"My beauty. I was promised my beauty back if I made sure you didn't get my head. Ever again," Medusa replied. "If I keep up my part of the bargain, I will be changed back into a mortal. I will not be a monster any more."

"Who told you that?" Aaron asked sharply. "_No one _can reverse a curse from a god."

"Oh, no, no. Some people can. You just have to know what strings to snip," Medusa said, grinning. "Like this one."

Suddenly, she leapt forward, her fists wrapping around the bars of the cage, melting them in her grip. She transformed into a slippery serpent, her eye mask slowly melting off her eyes.

"Shit," I muttered, turning to Kayla, Aaron and Achilles. I pushed them forward. "Run, now! She doesn't have a mask anymore! She can still turn you to stone!"

Kayla slammed her converse into the cobblestones. "We can't just leave her to wreck havoc on the Underworld! We still need her head! And, if you could kill a ghost, she can probably turn them to stone, too!"

I pressed onto her back, trying to move her. "You need to run! Gods, dammit, move! Use your head, Pandorian! What would Athena say about this?"

Kayla's face spread with determination. Oh, crap, what did I just do?

**(A/N) OH CRAP! THERE'S A SPIDER ON THE WALL! AHH! DIE, SPIDER, DIE! –screams and runs out of the room when the spider jumps off the wall; falls to floor, rocking back and forth, weeping- (There was really a spider, guys. I think it's dead but I don't want to check, because it might bite me, and I'll go all Spiderman on ya'll. Damn Arachne.)**

She gripped her sword in her hand, pushing me out of the way. Her clothes began to glint like… gold. _Like armor. _

She was in full-battle armor pretty soon. Her helmet smothered her golden brown hair, her eyes surveying the shadows and cave. "Nico, you should follow the others," Kayla said, in a commanding voice, mixed with the wise voice of Athena and the sexy voice of Aphrodite. All three voices were one, as weird as that sounded.

I found myself listening. I met the other guys beside the castle gates, watching from afar, in a dreamlike state.

Until the charm speak wore off of us and realization hit.

We'd just left Kayla West, the future savior of Olympus, down with Medusa near Tartarus, with backup from the goddess of love and the goddess of wisdom.

This was going to be interesting.

**WHY THE HECK IS THE SPIDER STILL ALIVE? Oh, never mind, my mom killed it for me… Not its legs are in my cream carpet. _Great._**

**I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I've been busy with summer vacation (just went to Missouri for a week), boy drama (like always), One Direction Infection (heh heh), and checking out other fanfiction websites. **

**I got a fictionpress account, but I haven't made a story for it yet. I'm experimenting with 1D fics… I like the imagines, so I might do one, where a Niall finds his princess (aka: me) –grins like a lovestruck idiot- But, my chances of meeting Niall, are one in four million so… At least I have the ability to _write _a perfect little fairytale with a happy ending even if I can't have it in real life. The upsides of being a struggling writer!**

**THANKS FOR READING MY RANT! LOVE YOU GUYS :3**

**LEAVE A LOVELY REVIEW PLEASE!**


	18. Badass Cinderella

**My thoughts go out to the victims, families and friends affected by the Batman Massacre in Aurora, MO. It's sick that something like this could happen. I'm _so _sorry for your loss. I'm not going to try to relate to it, because I can't. I never knew my aunt before she died, and I didn't necessarily know my Uncle Tim as much as I should have before he passed away. Those are honestly the only major deaths in my family that I remember or have heard about.**

**On a slightly happier note… here's another chapter. Sorry for depressing everybody before this, but I needed to make sure I came out and told everyone how much this has affected the way I think of life. It can end any second. So, don't waste your time with the _what if's. _Focus on the _right now's_. (That's my words of wisdom for today. Oh, heh heh, funny, because Athena's in this chapter.)**

**Kayla's POV:**

Here's some advice: _never _let two goddesses (who don't exactly like each other) room in your head. It is not pretty, even if one _is _the goddess of beauty.

I couldn't see anything the second those two decided to pack their bags and dump them inside my mind. It was pitch-black, until something flickered, like a candle.

A melting wax stub that smelt like vanilla and rose petals wafted into the room, lighting, to show off my old bedroom back home—two white opposing walls and two purple. Instead of my bed, sat a long red velvet couch upon the cream carpet. Plastered on the walls were my posters—One Direction, a Percy Jackson poster off their latest movie, the Hunger Games poster (of Peeta, of course), and a smaller poster of Andrew Garfield, my latest celebrity crush, who was the newest Spiderman.

Aphrodite was sitting on the velvet couch, her long legs crossed, as she smiled sweetly. Athena sat beside her, her armor glimmering in the candlelight, glancing around the room with an amused smile on her face.

Athena turned to look at me. "Kayla."

I nodded, "Lady Athena. Lady Aphrodite."

They both nodded, acknowledging my respect.

Aphrodite glanced at Athena, as Athena began, "We … came to help."

I stared at them. "Help?"

"Yes," Athena said, "Your father created the monster out there—"

"My _father _didn't _create _her," I snapped. "_You _did, Lady Athena."

Athena eyes flashed slightly. "I only created her because your father was doing things with her in _my _temple, which is extremely disrespectful."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said, waving my hand.

Athena's eyebrows shot up. I shrugged, "I've heard this story plenty of times, Athena. Remember? Greek freak here?"

Athena nodded. "Then, you must know my reason for changing her."

I nodded. "Disrespect. I get it. Or," I fake-gagged, "were you jealous?"

Aphrodite laughed. "I know! It's clear you two like each other! All this I-hate-you-with-a-passion stuff is _so _last millennia. Just come out and say you like him, so we can all sleep at night."

Athena growled. "I most _certainly _don't like Barnacle Beard. Kayla, do you want help or not?"

I nodded. "It's not like I can refuse a goddess, now can I?"

Athena rolled her eyes. "Stop acting like your fool brother."

I grinned. "Athena, that was the best compliment _ever._"

Athena stood up, snapping her fingers so that a spear materialized in her closed fist. "Now," she mused, "let me think. Hercules killed the Hydra in a very different way than you're planning."

I raised an eyebrow. "Wait… So, we didn't have to take a detour into the Land of the Dead?"

Athena shook her head. "No, it's best you came here. There are many more heroes that need awakening. You're the girl to do it."

I nodded. Athena turned away, snapping her fingers to make an enchanted map appear, floating in the air in front of her. "This is where Medusa is," Athena said, pointing at the holographic image of the Gorgon, who was rushing to hide behind sketched stone pillars. "And, this, is where we are," She pointed at an X colored on with pink lipstick.

Athena groaned. "Aphrodite. What did I tell you about using makeup on my battle maps?"

Aphrodite looked up from filing her perfectly rounded nails. "Um," she said, deep in thought, crinkling her brow.

Athena gritted her teeth. "I told you _not to._"

I held up a hand. "Um, Lady Athena, Lady Aphrodite, back to the battle at hand, please—"

Aphrodite gasped. "Are you using a _tone _with me?"

Athena turned and glared at Aphrodite. "Yes. I am."

My eyes widened as Aphrodite stood up from the velvet couch to glare at Athena. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get," She snarled under her breath.

"There's always a raging war in love, Aphrodite," Athena snapped.

My eyes widened. Shit was about to go down.

Before I could react, the goddesses attacked each other.

Athena grabbed a clump of Aphrodite's hair as Aphrodite raked her pink nails into Athena's shoulders. They were screaming and complaining and swearing like sailors.

I groaned, falling down onto the cream carpet of the room and hugging my knees close to my chest. I rested my chin on my kneecaps. "Why do I have to get stuck babysitting two _full grown goddesses_?" I whined to myself.

My eyes drifted from the clawing girls to lock on the map. The holographic Gorgon was getting closer to the pink X. My eyes widened. "Um, Athena?" I called to her.

She didn't answer. She was too busy trying to skewer the goddess of Love.

I watched it inch closer to the X. "Athena?" I called a little louder.

Aphrodite had somehow jumped onto Athena's back and was hitting her with her pink high heel.

I could already imagine Apollo, Hermes and Ares betting on who would win.

"STOP FIGHTING!" I screamed at them, standing up and prying them apart. Before they could attack again, I unsheathed my sword and swiped it in front of them.

Aphrodite pouted. "_Whaaat_?"

"You two are _family. _Knock it off and at least _act _like you can stand each other!" I shouted at them. I continued softly, "Also, um, Athena, if you don't help me quick, I think I'll be the next statue in Persephone's garden."

Athena's eyes widened. "_Di immortelles. _Dammit, Aphrodite, this is your fault! You made me lose focus!"

Aphrodite gasped. "I did not!"

"You two, _SHUT UP!_" I snapped.

I rushed over to the map, grabbing it and shoving it into my pocket. "Get out of my mind!" I yelled at them. I groaned as I reluctantly sang, "Come on, come in to my life."

Aphrodite grinned. "Oh my us! You're a fan?" She started squealing.

"There's only room in here for _one _fangirl! Get out!" I shouted, pushing them. They rolled their eyes, snapping their fingers and disappearing in a cloud of gun smoke and perfume.

I caught a whiff of it and choked on a gasp of smoke and Boyfriend, a scent by Justin Beiber. I actually liked the smell—the only bad thing was the fact that I'd just pretty much sucked in half the bottle and swallowed the 'fume.

I coughed as I was suddenly brought back to the present.

I glanced down at my clothes. The golden sheen of the armor glimmered. It was still there. Considering how I'd pissed off Athena, I'd thought she'd snap her fingers and get rid of the protection. But, she was the goddess of Wisdom. Maybe she was wise enough to hold her head over anger.

I placed my hand on the shiny metal of my helmet. I pulled it off, letting my golden brown hair rain out of it and bounce into place around my shoulders.

I stared into the reflection of my face on the back of the helmet.

My eyes locked on something that was creeping behind me.

_Hisssssss!_

Chills ran up my arms as goose bumps exploded over my skin.

_Oh, gods, _I thought. _Why does my dad have to get crazy ex-girlfriends?_

I felt a clawed hand dig into my shoulder.

"You remind me of your father," Her voice murmured fondly near my ear.

A growl escaped her throat. "Too bad that means you remind me of his retched son that damned me here for years," she hissed menacingly.

I felt a smile tug at my lips.

In a spilt second, I kicked Medusa in the gut and she was doubled over, holding her stomach in pain.

I flicked out my sword, glancing at her bent-over figure.

My eyes flicked to the helmet the moment her green eyes flew up.

My eyebrows knitted in confusion. The Gorgon that had been in the helmet reflection was gone. What was replaced… was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, brilliant green eyes and luscious pink lips. She wore a long-sleeved white gown with strips of gray cloth sewn into the folds of the white.

She was beautiful beyond words.

She stared at me in the reflection, her green eyes sorrowful.

"I didn't choose to become that monster," she whimpered. "I was just an innocent maiden, spending my life worshipping the goddess of wisdom, my patron. But… you must understand, Kayla. I did not do any wrong."

I nodded, agreeing. My sword felt so heavy in my hand, as if I were holding up the world. Maybe if I set it down…?

"Kayla, please," she pleaded. "It wasn't my fault. I did no wrong."

The sword dropped to my side, clattering on the black stone.

The woman stepped forward.

"It was _their _fault. Both him and her. He left when I needed him. She took the chance and turned me into that _thing _you saw," She snarled in bitterness until her voice turned to a soft purr. "But I still have feelings for him."

She was _so _beautiful.

_Too _beautiful.

She wasn't human. She was a monster.

I felt myself say, "Well, you know what? I would've _loved _you as a stepmother."

Medusa gasped. "Oh, really? Give me a hug, darling!"

Medusa came up behind me, ready for a hug.

I turned on my heel, but instead of embracing her, I slammed the helmet against her skull. I watched her crumple to the ground in a heap. I picked up my sword and held it over her neck.

"This makes me think of a fairytale," I whispered. "Cinderella gone badass."

The sword chopped downward and the sickly _plop! _of the head rolling to its side was enough for me. I heard her hair hissing in dismay. They probably didn't like dying again anymore than Medusa had.

I knelt down picking it up out of a puddle of green juice.

I stared at her face.

I'd done it. All by myself—okay, sure, I might've had two goddess' blessings—but still, I was the one holding the head of my dad's insane ex girlfriend who hadn't gotten over the fact that they were done ever since her hair turned reptilian.

I turned on my heel and walked up the hill away from the dark cavern of eternal damnination and met the three astonished looks of Nico, Aaron and Jordan (Achilles wanted us to call him by his mortal name in case people were eavesdropping).

I tossed Nico the head. "Okay, guys, next stop. Let's go kill a Hydra," I said, brushing green blood onto my denim jeans.

Jordan stared at me. "You… killed her by yourself?"

"Oh, I had some help," I said, smiling.

Nico grew sickly pale holding the head. "I think I'm going to be sick," He mumbled.

I looked at him. "Sorry about that. I severed it—I'm not holding it, too."

Nico handed Medusa's head to Aaron. "Okay, guys, hold hands. We're going through shadow travel." I grabbed Nico's hand and Aaron's arm.

My vision went black and we were being whisked by the shadows.

**Leave a review. I'm pretty proud of myself. I typed 8 pages and I started this _today. _I also updated my new Spiderman story, which –cough- you should read, too –cough-. **

**I love you guys! Thanks for reading. Till next chapter…**

—**ILoveLukeC signing off.**

**[That makes me sound really professional. I like it.]**


	19. Hydra Beheadings and Reallife Legends

**I had school orientation today… I have only two weeks of freedom left before I'm locked in prison—I mean, school.**

**I was wondering, guys—should I keep doing the camper's/god's POVs or just keep it focused on Kayla and the gang? Answer in a review, please.**

**Kayla's POV:**

Let's just say… I am deathly scared of the dark.

I was always scared of the dark.

I mean, c'mon, we don't know what the hell is out there.

It's even creepier when you're about to kill a freaking Hydra, with five heads, one fire breathing and four man-eating.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans, trying to see through the dark.

Out of all my powers, couldn't the god of, oh, I don't know, _night vision _bless me?

I ran straight into Nico's back and stumbled.

Nico was standing stock-still.

"Jeez, Dead Boy, don't pre-warn me," I retorted as I stood up, dusting dirt off my butt.

Nico didn't reply with a sarcastic remark like I thought he would.

Aaron and Gordon stopped behind me.

"What's the holdup, Death Breath?" Jordan shouted.

Nico didn't move.

I walked forward, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Nico…?" I asked.

Nico turned his head to face me. His eyes were wide as he mouthed, 'Tell them to shut up.'

I turned around and placed a finger to my lips.

Nico whispered, "The Hydra. It's coming."

I heard something like a giant tromping through the trees.

Which, considering how everything that had been considered fiction or myths ended up being real, a giant wasn't that huge of a shock.

My eyes widened as a plume of fire erupted through a large bundle of trees and bushes. In seconds, it was reduced to ashy twigs and piles of black ash that used to be leaves.

"Shootballs," I muttered.

What? I didn't swear _all _the time.

My eyes widened when a huge head loomed through a hole in a twiggy treetop. It narrowed its two slimy green reptilian eyes, which gave me chills. Smoke curled out of his nose as it opened its slimy lips and blew a stripe of red fire through the blackness of the night.

Nico screamed, "Hit the deck!"

We all scattered, jumping into bushes to avoid the fire that was burning the grass black and licking up tree trunks. Wood nymphs panicked and hopped from their trees, rushing back and forth to toss water from the small creek onto their burning life forces.

The hydra's five heads glowered down at us, its green eyes burning like Greek fire embers and piercing through the night sky like a black cat's at midnight.

It reminded me of my own cat. He was about seven years old now and I missed him a ton, even though he'd bitten me plenty of times because I'd bothered him while he simply didn't want to be bothered.

My hand went straight to the strap on my belt where my sword hung.

But, then I remembered the myth.

Each severed head of the Hydra turned into a pair of heads.

I heard Aaron shout a battle cry as he ran from his hiding spot, his sword swinging wildly in the air as he leapt for one of the heads.

"No!" I screamed, but watched as his sword sliced through the thick neck of the leftmost head and it fell to the ground with a _thump. _

The neck began to burn. The scaly skin bubbled as Aaron took a step back. "What the—" He started, as his eyes widened in realization. Two neck stubs grew in size until they were as thick as the other heads. The skulls of the beasts grew in size as its skin bubbled, causing it to blink its green eyes and to let its tongue slither through its jagged teeth.

Aaron hadn't killed it. He'd only pissed it off.

Now, we were against _seven _of them.

The odds are not in my favor today, huh?

I turned my gaze to Nico. He was frantically pointing and gesturing at the bush Aaron had been hiding near. My eyes scanned over the brush and met the dead snakes of Medusa's hair.

I looked at him and nodded. Slowly, I sneakily walked over to the bush, humming the Mission Impossible theme song. I hit the deck as I heard fire crackle and wipe of a chunk of the forest in one blow.

I crawled toward Medusa's head, grabbing hold of two of the snakes and pulling it toward me. I made sure its eyes weren't toward me as I kneeled behind the bushes.

Aaron and Jordan were slashing at the Hydra, which didn't help this situation whatsoever. The Hydra was just getting madder, and every time it got mad, it stomped, thrashed, bit and blew flames to a higher degree of destruction.

I stood up, rushing forward, out the brush. "Hit the deck!" I shouted as Aaron and Jordan leapt into the bushes on either side.

The Hydra blew in a breath of fire. I held the head level to its lowered faces and pushed a few strands of snakes from her paralyzing green eyes and watched as the Hydra took a step back in terror.

Its body began to turn gray near its clawed feet. The graying proceeded up its legs, its lower half, its upper half, its necks, and slowly finished off its faces. Their eyes turned lifelessly gray, removing its once tranquillizing irises. Its teeth turned to broken shards of glass. The once scaly skin was now smooth as weathered stone.

I turned to my friends. Jordan walked up beside me and pulled out a large bottle made of glass.

"What's that for?" I asked.

He bent down, scooping up the Hydra blood until the bottle was full.

"It's incredibly poisonous. Hercules used it on his arrows," Jordan explained as he wrapped a coil of leather around the vial-like tube of the top of the bottle, securing it to his own belt.

I glanced at my sword, getting an idea.

I walked over to a large pool of blood, where the Hydra head had been severed. I laid the blade of my sword into the deep pool of blood, until the sword absorbed it all like a sponge.

Nico glanced at me warily. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

I grinned, sheathing the sword.

Jordan looked at me. "You're a worthy warrior."

I smiled, as he added, "You could be an Amazon. Perhaps even one of Artemis' huntresses. I've met some. Very skilled maidens."

I grinned wider. "Thanks."

Aaron turned to me. "Sorry for cutting off the head…"

I shrugged. "It's handled and done."

Nico rolled his eyes, grumbling, "We still could've died."

Aaron looked at me. "We should be getting back to base. Everyone's probably freaked out."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, thinking about all the younger kids, like Lindsey. She was no older than eleven, maybe younger. There were hundreds of kids even younger than her. If the Giants could torture a grown partly invincible man, they surely wouldn't hesitate in hurting a young kid.

I thought about how scared they must all be. Everything that had been happening was my fault. It was my fault Nico was sent here. It was my fault that Gaea wasn't happy with anything revolving around me. It was going to be my fault when people got hurt, and, I wasn't great at forgiving myself.

I sighed, nodding, as Aaron led the way back to camp.

Hercules's POV:

I walked down the hall of Elysium, passing doors to other deceased heroes' dorms. I saw Perseus chatting up the blonde secretary, complimenting her looks. I walked over, hitting him on the back, causing him to gasp and turn around.

He caught his breath. "Herc, ya scared me there."

I shrugged. "It's quite hard to, when you were the first to kill the Gorgon, Medusa," I said, as I watched the blonde perk an eyebrow.

"Really?" She asked, twirling a piece of her hair as she smiled and responded flirtingly, "You defeated _Medusa_?"

"Uh," Perseus started. "Yes. I did."

She smiled, taking out a scrap of paper and scribbling on it. She handed it to Perce. "That's my IM address. Iris-Message me maybe?" She asked, smiling and winking.

Perseus grinned. "Sure."

I rolled my eyes, turning around and walking away.

I heard Perseus running up behind me.

He stood beside me. "Man, how do you do that? You just snap your fingers and you get a girl's attention. It's crazy."

"Yeah, like Dionysus," I added half-heartedly as we boarded our elevator.

Perseus turned to me. "Why the long face, Herc?"

"No reason," I said.

Perce looked at me then his eyes widened. "Oh. I know what it is."

I rolled my eyes.

"I'll spell it out," Perseus said, "S.O.E. N. I. G. H. T. S. H. A. B. E."

I turned to him, as he shouted, "Zoë Nightshade!"

"First off," I started, "you can't spell. Second, it isn't her."

"Somebody's in _denial,_" Perseus commented, patting me on the head, which caused me to push him away.

He slammed hard into the wall of the elevator. "Ow! You could've just told me no!" Perseus whined, holding his elbow in pain.

"Zoë hates me, okay? She has for millennia," I replied sourly.

"I heard she became a huntress of Artemis because you got her sisters to hate her _and _because you broke her heart. You're a real douche," Perseus told me.

I clenched my hands into fists.

I really wanted to punch him, as hard as I could. He didn't know the entire story. No one did.

I took a breath, calming my angered self as I counted to ten.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine—

"… You still have the hots for her, don't you?" Perseus asked.

I turned toward him, punching him in the gut, watching him gasp and fall to the floor, clutching his stomach.

Ten.

The elevator beeped and I walked off onto my floor.

Hercules needs a therapist.

I hope you all liked the chapter. I think the characters are starting to mature… I looked at my past chapters and realized that they were less serious. But, now that the war getting closer, they've gotten their game together. Jordan had clearly matured into Achilles, since he's acting more professional about everything.

Thanks for reading, guys!

Please leave a review.

ILoveLukeC is signing off.


	20. Dates and Treasure

**Percy's POV:**

I slumped in my bed at home, my face pressed into the pillow.

I should've been ecstatic. I should've been happy.

You only turn seventeen once, and when you're a demigod, that's a major accomplishment.

But… How can you be happy when your sister is preparing for a battle she might not survive?

I sat up in bed, grimacing as sunlight hit my eyes. I closed them, rubbing my closed fists against them.

I swung my legs out of bed, standing up as I walked toward the closed glass doors that opened out to a balcony. I stood near the edge, overlooking the city. I watched the traffic, hearing the usual bustle of New York, as cars honked and people hailed down taxis.

The wind ruffled my black hair and penetrated the thin cloth of my blue shirt. I turned my head, feeling someone else's presence. I noticed my father standing next to me, his green gaze staring out at the foggy sky and the first splashes of the rising sun.

"Percy," Poseidon started, glancing at me and giving me a ghost of a smile.

"Dad," I said, tilting my head.

"Happy birthday," Poseidon said.

I turned my gaze away to stare out at the now orange sky. Red streaks were appearing against the orange, and splashes of yellow were blending into the mix.

"Thanks," I started. "Was that all you wanted to say?"

I loved having my father here to actually talk to me—but I doubted the other gods took the time to tell their other kids how much they meant to them, or 'happy birthday', or a simple 'I love you'.

Other demigods at the camp didn't get special treatment. Either they had too many siblings, or they were the children of a minor god—they didn't get what I got. I got special one-on-one time with gods who weren't even my godly parent.

When I was twelve, I was angry about that. I tried to change it after the Battle of the Titans. But, did it even work? Did it go through their thick skulls and work it into their minds? So many kids died. Beckendorf, Silena, Michael, Nathan, Luke. Hundreds of names. Hundreds of deaths.

I turned to Poseidon and noticed he was wringing his hands nervously.

"Dad," I said. "What else is there?"

He gazed at me. "Kayla… She went into the Underworld."

My heart froze. "S-She _died_?!"

Poseidon's eyes widened as he shook his head. "No, no. Let me rephrase."

He took a deep breath before saying, "She found a man in the woods, Achilles, to be precise. There was a Hydra when Nico and Aaron found her. Nico took them to the Underworld to find a way to stop it. They got Medusa's head… when it wasn't done regenerating."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.

Poseidon shook his head. "That's the thing. Hades thinks maybe it messed up some of the regenerating with the monsters, which makes them… _invincible._"

I stared at him, my mouth agape. "But… monsters _have _to die."

Poseidon shook his head. "Not according to this. Half the monsters haven't come back to the Underworld. The scent of half bloods is stronger. We don't understand why, but we think it's connected to Medusa."

I sighed. "Well, who even gave them the ability to sense us?"

Poseidon's eyes flickered. "Um, I can't say."

I stared at him. "You can't say? Dad, kids are going to die! Don't you and the other gods understand that? Children of the gods will die, mortals will die, everyone will die!"

I snarled angrily, "I know you're a god, but don't you understand that you have to _live _with the pain of knowing your kids, your nieces, your nephews are all five feet under?"

Poseidon didn't say anything.

I suddenly felt bad. I shouldn't have snapped at him.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. You're right, Percy."

I watched him hastily wipe a tear from his cheek.

I felt terrible. "Dad, seriously, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. I was just mad and I'm … scared."

Poseidon nodded. "I am, too, son. I am, too."

**Kayla's POV:**

It had been a few days after the accident in the woods.

The kids were still a little worried, but not much. They were chatting again, and having a fun time—if, you know, stabbing stuff was fun.

I zipped up my jacket and pulled it tighter around me.

It was freezing, even though it was August. I didn't understand why it was so cold—unless the ice chick Leo had flirted with was still giving him, the gods, and all of us the cold shoulder.

Aaron ran up beside me, grinning as he stepped in line next to me.

"Hey, Kayla," He said, rather cheerily despite the weather.

"Hey," I said, smiling at him.

He glanced at me with his icy blue eyes. "Would you like to go on a date later? It won't be another parrying one, I promise."

I laughed. "Why? You afraid you'll get beat again?"

He shrugged, smiling. "Well, I do have a reputation to uphold."

I grinned. "Okay. Sure. Where to?"

"Meet me by the watering hole I showed you first day," Aaron told me.

I hesitated. The watering hole wouldn't have been my first choice.

I nodded. "Fine."

He smiled, before one of the guys called him over. "I'll see ya later," Aaron told me, running to his friends.

I rolled my eyes but a smile played upon me lips as I walked past the training arena and began going down the hill, walking under the canopy of trees.

**Aaron's POV:**

I walked up to Nate.

"So?" He asked, glancing up. "What'd she say?"

He surveyed me with his hazel eyes.

"She agreed," I told him.

He smiled. "Good. Are you going to ask her?"

Jared and Sam looked at me expectantly, greed flashing in their eyes.

"I'll ask," I said. "But, I can't guarantee."

"She'll be able to get into the water," Nate said. "She won't be burned. She can withstand the pressure. It's perfect. She just has to get in, grab the treasure, and out ya go."

I looked at his hazel eyes—dark green and light brown, speckled with gold flecks. The gold flecks had grown brighter, as if it could sense his hunger for the treasure.

"And, what if nothing's down there?" I asked. "What if the rumors aren't true?"

Nate glared at me. "You better hope and pray that the treasure's down there, Aaron. If it isn't, well, you just won't survive the months to come. We _need _what's down there."

I got angry. I didn't like to be threatened.

"What if it's just some rocks?" I snapped.

Jared glanced between us. "Maybe you should go with her," he suggested.

"That's a grand idea," Nate said. "Go with her. Make sure she gets what we need. Nothing more, nothing less."

I glared at him. "It has to be without greed," I snapped at him.

"So?" Nate countered. "It doesn't matter. We need _one _thing. The sword."

I glared at him. I was about to snap at him, when someone grabbed my arm and pulled me away. I looked up and noticed Jordan.

He looked at me. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," I said.

"Didn't sound like nothing," He mumbled.

I shrugged.

He looked at me. "Hey, didn't you have a date?"

My eyes widened. "I gotta get ready! Wait—how'd you know?"

He smiled. "It's a camp. Stuff circles around fast."

**Short chapter, I know, but I had an idea and I wanted to post it today. I know I haven't posted in a while (I got busy with school starting and made a new Spiderman story).**

**So… Happy Birthday, Percy Jackson! How old is he? According to the books he'd be … seventeen? That's how old he is in this story, now that it's his birthday. **

**The reviews are amazing. I love you guys, really, I do. **

**I got the Demigod Diaries. Loved it. You all should read it if you haven't! There's an exclusive picture of Thalia!**

**My amazing mom bought The Hunger Games today! **

**TEAM PEETA. NUFF SAID. **

**ILoveLukeC signing off.**


	21. Pandora's Box

Kayla's POV: 

I walked into the clearing, pushing a curtain of green to the side, looking out to spot the glittery unusually bright aquamarine pool. I walked forward, shivering at the bitter gust of wind that flew through the trees.

My hair flew to the side, wind biting my cheeks and nose rosy pink.

I looked around, not seeing Aaron anywhere.

I sighed, zipping my jacket to my neck, and tossing the hood over my long brown hair as I walked forward and sat down, cross-legged, near the shore of the pond, my legs brushing against the sand.

I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of autumn, which was odd with it being only August. I breathed deeply, holding my hand up unconsciously.

I peeked an eye open and smiled faintly.

In the air, was a neon blue-green serpent of water, curling around in the air, like a baby snake. It hissed against the air, as if the cold was burning it.

I heard a chuckle and my head shot up, my concentration breaking.

I watched the water burst into water droplets and _plink _against the once-smooth surface.

I turned my head, my hair swishing to the side.

Aaron smiled at me as he walked over and sat down beside me, leaning back on his hands as he laid his legs in the sand lazily. He gave me a smile, which I returned with a raised eyebrow.

His smile slightly drooped. "What?"

I shrugged and turned my head away, gazing at the water.

"So," I started. "Why'd you choose this place?" 

"We had our first kiss," He said, as if that explained everything.

"You also almost died," I added.

He frowned slightly. "Oh. Yeah. But, the burn wasn't fatal, you know."

I nodded. "Yeah. But, it must've hurt."

He nodded, staring at the water. "It did."

I unfolded my legs, getting irritated.

The watering hole wasn't an ideal date, ever.

Aaron wasn't stupid—he wouldn't come back here alone, let alone bring me with him.

Something was up and if I didn't find out, I was going to do something stupid until he cracked.

I sat forward, digging my hands under a pile of sand.

He glanced at me. "What's wrong?"

I didn't answer with words.

I answered with actions.

I stood up, flicking sand from my hands as I walked around the edge of the hole.

Aaron watched me warily. "Kayla. Don't."

I glanced back at him. "Why not?"

Aaron stood up as I walked some more, which made it harder to balance, as the edge got steeper.

"Kayla," Aaron warned.

"Yes?" I asked, turning my head to stare at him.

He walked closer, looking at me with his confused blue eyes.

"What are you trying to do?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I'll answer that after you answer this."

I walked up some more, balancing on one leg.

"Why'd we really come here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aaron looked at me, seeming more confused. "What do you mean? We came for a date, Kayla!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not stupid. There's clearly something weird going on. I mean, I can't be the only one who realized that you have a nervous twitch to your eye."

As if on cue, Aaron's left eye twitched slightly.

He sighed heavily. "There's… something I need you to do."

I smiled. "Finally." I placed my other foot down. "What is it?"

Aaron didn't answer for a while. "…There's something under the water that someone I know needs."

"And, you need someone who can withstand the pressure to get down there," I finished up. Aaron nodded solemnly. I tried to pull off that I wasn't hurt over the fact that he lied to me, as I said, with extra false enthusiasm, "Well, you should've just asked, silly!"

Aaron noticed my forced smile as I jumped from where I was standing. "I'll just hop right into the water and grab whatever the Hades you need, how bout that?"

Aaron stared at the ground, ashamed. "I know you're being sarcastic. The reason he wants what is down there is because there's something that's rightfully yours in the piles of gold."

"Great," I muttered, knowing I didn't have to pretend I was happy with this anymore. "What's down there?" 

He glanced up to stare at me. "Pandora's box."

I perked an eyebrow. "You mean, _the _Pandora's box, from the myth? The one she—I, whatever—opened?"

Aaron nodded. "It's down there. The guy I know wants it to steal it away so you can't get it. Which is why … you have to find it and keep it safe and far away from him. It's rightfully yours. A gift from my father."

I stared at him. "And … what if you're lying and it's not there?"

His blue eyes glistened in hurt.

"It has to be there. No one else could've ever taken it. It's been down there since … since Pandora was killed."

Aaron's words hung in the air.

"But… I didn't think she ever died. I thought she was immortal," I said, confused.

He shook his head. "Her husband, Epimetheus, Titan of afterthought, father of excuses, got the same punishment as his brother, Prometheus, for giving the mortals fire. Except… Instead of losing his freedom, he lost his love."

I gasped. "That's cruel. Why would they do such a thing?"

Aaron turned his head to stare at me. "Epimetheus caused his brother to steal the fire. He made his brothers' creation, mankind, helpless by using up all the gifts he could have used for them. Pandora was supposed to be a punishment sent by Zeus. But, instead, she became Epimetheus' wife. It angered Zeus that, after so much precaution, his plan had failed."

I stared at him. "Why do you know so much of this myth?"

He shrugged. "Why do you know so little?"

I punched him as hard as I could.

I bit back the yelp as my fist collided with his shoulderblade.

He chuckled. "Did that hurt?"

I glared at him. "No. Not at all."

He laughed, grabbing my hand and kissing my knuckles. "Better?" He asked, smirking.

I nodded, smiling, until I felt guilt nag at the edge of my mind.

My fingers slid to my heart charm on the necklace Aphrodite had given me.

"Um, so, uh, do you want me to go get the thing?" I asked quickly to change the subject, standing up aburtly.

Aaron looked surprised. "Um, yeah, but it could—"

"Okay! I'll just go get it real quick!" I garbled quickly, ripping my hand from his grip and walking toward the water, dipping my shoes into the waves.

Aaron stood up. "Kayla, wait—"

Without a second thought, I submerged myself into the blue depths of the water until my head was under.

**Guys, I am so, so, so, so, _so, so, so_ SOOO sorry for not updating.**

**I feel like a butt…**

**But, review anyways, because this butt needs moral support to update.**


	22. Swimming In The Deep

The water in the watering hole was cold as liquid ice but I slipped through it like a knife through warm butter. It was an odd sensation—being freezing cold but not actually _feeling _the water land on your skin.

I could see through the water but everything was bathed in blue-green light, which disoriented my sight. My arms were light blue and my hair drifted in front of my face, reminding me of all those movies about mermaids I watched when I was younger.

I was waiting for a talking crab to float down from the surface and start singing "Under The Sea", but that moment never came, mostly because the entire watering hole … was empty, besides me and the sound of the seaweed swishing with the current.

Normally, there would be a couple Nereids braiding each other's dark blue or green hair, giggling and twirling their hair and flirting with young guys on the surface.

Aaron was up there, so maybe it was a good thing that there weren't any Nereids around.

I found the cave with the air bubble inside, and it didn't look very welcoming.

It was the color of rotten plums—grayish purple, covered in seaweed like lengthy bangs in front of the cave entrance and it was littered with seashells and pearls and glittery sand.

I pushed aside the seaweed and swam into the dark cave, glowing with phosphorous creatures and plants.

I shuddered as I thought about The Little Mermaid—this reminded me of the creepy place the octopus lady lived in, which really wasn't helping my nerves.

I floated to the very top, the surface of the air bubble.

My hands gripped a stone, as I pulled myself onto the ledge covered in mountains of glittery gold coins. The handles of long forgotten mirrors and golden or bronze swords jutted from the tops of the mountains, encrusted with rubies and diamonds. The patterns of shields danced across the walls of the cave.

My eyes scanned the room for a box.

_Gold, swords, jewels, gold, shields, magical items, more gold._

I blinked, which was my first mistake, an inevitable one.

In that millisecond, something decided to happen.

Something even the great Percy Jackson would've been fearful of.

The water began to gurgle, to boil into bubbles.

The ruby-encrusted floor I was standing on became brittle dirt, mixing with the once crystallized water, swirling into a dirty brown whirlpool to become the face of a sleeping woman.

Her eyes were halfway open and she was smiling in her sleep.

_Child of gifts, _her sleepy voice hummed. _You wish for your destiny? Let me give you a glimpse._

My hands clenched into fists, my fingernails digging into my palms.

I didn't want to see my future, and she knew it.

The whirlpool spun furiously, mixing into colors to reveal a picture, like what you'd see on an Iris-Message, except the colors weren't rainbow; they were a mucky brown.

I watched images flash past—heroes from all the old stories standing together at the front-lines of a battle; me opening Pandora's Box and peeking inside; Aaron and Nico fighting for their lives against wolves the size of rhinos, with teeth and claws the length of daggers; the final battle on the top of a flat hill, a sword and a pillar of rock sending sparks in all directions as they clashed sharply.

I tore my eyes from the spinning images.

My hand went for my sword, but … it wasn't there.

The sound of cracking earth interrupted my thoughts.

I shivered as I realized it was laughter.

_Looking for this? _Gaea's taunting voice gestured to my sword, an arm's length away from me, over the churning water. _Jump for it, girl. It wouldn't be fair to kill you when you are weaponless._

I glared at her. "Really? You actually care?"

The cracking sound emitted again.

No. I don't. But, I should give you that tiny glimmer of hope, shouldn't I? I mean, you are the Pandorian. Hope is your life force. Without hope, you'd fade like every other useless immortal being in this damned 'civilization', Gaea's voice resounded.

My fist itched to send an uppercut to her chin, but my fist would probably get stuck in the whirlpool and I'd get pulled into the churning pile of quicksand.

"My life force, huh? Enlighten me," I said.

You opened that gift, the box. You let out all of the illnesses, the death, and the horrors upon my son, Prometheus', gift—mankind. You were able to close it before Foreboding flew from the box—a real pity, if you ask me, Gaea said, making my jaw clench.

"I didn't ask you," I snapped, which she ignored.

The gods punished Prometheus and Epimetheus. He couldve married a Titaness—but, no, nobody listens to their mother, now do they? He married you, a Siren with a dentisty entertwined with the gods' forsaken ways, Gaea snarled bitterly.

I laughed. A Siren? Really now.

I shrugged. "Well, I hope he got over it, because I'm not Pandora anymore. I'm myself. I'm Kayla West, and you, Gaea? You're dirt."

That ticked her off, to say the least.

Fine, girl. Why don't I give you your damned gift? That box holds your fate. You open it, it'll help you in desperate need—but with a price, a price even the gods cannot pay, She hissed.

Something in my gut jerked, forcing me to turn and stare into the piles of gold. The box glowed a fiery red, bursting from the mountain of gold and sending the coins to freefall, bouncing across the room and landing into the sleeping face of Gaea.

The box flew to my hands, humming and pulsing with energy, as if it … knew who I was.

Then again, the box was a magical item from Hermes. He'd entrusted it to Pandora and made her promise she wouldn't open it. Her gift from Hera, which was curiosity, got her to open the box.

After that, well, the saying 'Curiosity killed the cat' came to be.

The horrors trapped in the box flew from it and attacked mankind.

My eyes flashed to the day I'd been in Olympus.

There were two vases I'd never noticed—two black onyx vases with golden crackles, taking on the appearance of lava.

They shook in the corner of the room, taking their places on either side of Betty, the Hippocampus, in the floating bubble of seawater.

I could hear hushed hisses and shrill screams inside the vases—shaking them dangerously fast. They glowed with a golden aura—which made me remember the color of Luke's eyes during the Kronos-transformation.

The box burned in my hands, scalding the skin.

For now, girl, I want you alive. So, please, sweetheart—don't die just yet, Gaea's laughter slowly dissipated as the quicksand of her face flushed down a whirlpool.

I cradled the box in my arms.

It'd stopped burning when she left, but it still left an angry pink burn on both of my palms. I tucked it into the pocket of my hoodie for safekeeping.

Aaron was right.

This was my box. I could feel it.

And, no one, and I mean—no one—was going to take it away from me.

I held so many people's fates with just this box. I was ready for that responsibility.

**Hope you guys liked the chapter.**

**This is dedicated for the best friend and sister ever—Pamela, happy 14th birthday. I hope you get claimed or at least find … something on your journey Saturday. **

**I'm truly sorry this chapter took so long even when it was only 5 freaking pages, but, eh—better than no chapter at all.**

**Review, please!**


	23. War Is Declared

Kayla's POV:

I tucked my box into my hoodie, zipping it tight.

After some consulting with my thoughts, I reluctantly stepped into the whirlpool of vibrant water Gaea had just swirled down.

The water had grown sickly—the seaweed was a nasty puke green, the sand an ugly speckled tawny. My feet sunk in it; moonlight glistened across the surface of the rippling lake.

I needed to get up there, fast. Dusk was falling, the sky turning the surface of the water purplish-blue amid streaks of red and pink.

Aaron's POV:

I sat in a pile of wet sand, knitting my fingers together and anxiously biting my lip.

Where was she?

She was taking _way _too long down there.

Maybe something had happened.

I stood up and anxiously stared into the water, watching it reflect the sky and my facial expression. I looked nervous and concerned, my eyebrows knit together as my eyes darted across the water.

"Aaron?" A voice called.

No. It couldn't be.

I turned away from the water and stared into the surrounding wood.

"Aaron?" The voice called again.

My stomach twisted into rough knots and I let out a whimper.

It was impossible. She was _dead._

"Aaron, where are you?" The voice was soft, innocent. Just like it had been.

I took a step forward. "Jenny?" I called back. "Jenny, is that you?"

There wasn't an answer—just a faint high-pitched giggle.

I took a few more steps toward the forest. "Jen?"

There was spurt of laughter. "Come get me, Aaron!"

I ran forward into the trees.

She sounded so _alive._

I whipped a few branches from my face and ran into a clearing I thought I'd heard her voice in. I ran out into the open, my arms outstretched, a huge grin on my face.

My shoes skidded to a stop and I stared at the creature in surprise. It wasn't my little Jenny. It was a female wolf—sleek and black, a shadow of the night. I watched shadows stretch throughout the forest and I knew I was in deep shit.

I turned and took off running. How could I have been so stupid? My sister was dead. She would never be alive again. She was _dead._

_Why did that animal have her voice? _My mind pestered but I ignored it, focusing on running.

I could hear the packs of wolves running closer, catching up. One nipped at my heels. Another let out a howl.

Nico's POV:

I was talking to Lucas when I heard the howl.

I froze. "Did you hear that?" I asked.

Lucas shook his head, grabbing a miniature flamethrower and flicking it on. "I think you're hearing things, Gothie," Lucas mumbled as he examined a hunk of scrap metal.

Another howl.

"There it is again!" I shouted, snapping my fingers.

Lucas seemed to have heard it this time. He looked in my direction and we both darted for the door, running on into the camp.

Wolves were everywhere—in cabins, in the arena—wrecking havoc and chasing warriors. I'd never seen grown men cry before but plenty of the guys were running away from the wolves, screaming with tears in their eyes.

I took a step forward when I heard a crack.

I glanced down and realized that the ground was splitting underneath my feet.

My eyes widened. "Where's Kayla?" My voice rose an octave but I could've cared less. I took off running toward Achilles.

I didn't even care that war was upon us—all I cared about was where the hell she was.

Kayla's POV: (I'm switching POV's again ugh sorry)

I finally broke the surface of the water after wrestling through the sand.

I dug my nails into the sand, throwing myself onto dry land, which was most likely my first mistake, although, you never know—my first mistake was probably _being born._

There was a cackle and I could feel the sand latch onto my clothes like rabid piranhas. I yelped, struggling to scrape the sand from my clothing as I rolled over and eventually stood.

I could hear angry howls and brave shouts from a distance away.

I wrapped my arm around my waist, holding the Box in my hoodie, as I took off running toward the sounds but I heard a painful scream.

A scream I recognized. Aaron.

…

I completely abandoned the idea of running toward the warrior camp and took off into the woods.

It seemed like I was being deliberately slowed down. The ground was suddenly a sticky flytrap, sticking to the soles of my shoes and refusing to let go.

I felt a breath of wind rip me from the ground and into the air.

I really needed to thank Zeus later but not now.

I was soaring for a while until I spotted a familiar blonde head and a familiar rhino-sized tan wolf.

Hunter.

I leapt out of the sky, aiming straight for the wolf. My fists grabbed leverage on fistfuls of fur and the wolf underneath me bucked in pain. I held on, remembering when my sister rode a fake bull at a boat show back in Omaha. It seemed millions of years ago, but I tried to focus on the memory. I held on as tight as I could until Hunter grew exhausted.

He slumped against the ground, morphing back into a person. Aaron had stopped running, although he looked shaken and beyond angry. "What the hell?" Aaron shouted. "Where were you?"

I numbly pulled the Box from my jacket. "Getting this."

He stared at it, the gold reflecting in his eyes. "You got it?"

I nodded, shrugging, glancing back at Hunter. He stared at the Box, his lips curling up in a snarl. "Put that thing away," He hissed, glaring holes into it with his livid eyes.

I tucked it into my hoodie pocket, watching Hunter all the while. "Are you okay?"

He sighed. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because something's obviously wrong," I began, "and it has something to do with the pack, right?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe."

Aaron looked between us. "Whoa, there are more of you?"

Hunter let out a low growl and ignored Aaron's comment. "Gaea apparently has plans for the pack. We have to obey; she controls the well-being of the entire pack and our leader won't let us even consider working against her." There was an angry howl in the distance. "Well, now I can help. I've just been exiled."

He grinned. "Of course."

"Well, w-why'd you try to kill me?" Aaron snapped.

Hunter shrugged. "It's a Pack Oath, man, I don't know. It's instinctive to run after people who scream like little girls."

Aaron would've most likely gutted Hunter right then and there, had Nico not turned up at the right second. He ran forward, panting, his face pale. Achilles ran up behind him, looking pale but unfazed by his run over. "War!" Nico cried. "They've declared war!"

**I'M SO SORRY GUYS I GOT AN EMAIL ABOUT SOMEONE FAVORITING THIS STORY AND I WAS LIKE "OH CRAP"**

**IT HAS BEEN SIX TO SEVEN MONTHS SINCE I LAST UPDATED I'M SLAMMING MY HEAD INTO A WALL SHOUTING "BAD MARANDA BAD MARANDA" **

**AS YOU CAN TELL I'VE TAKEN QUITE A LIKING ((aka obsession)) TO HARRY POTTER**

**I ALSO HAD NESA TESTS RECENTLY. THEY SUCKED. I HONESTLY ONLY THOUGHT ABOUT HOW HARD THE O.W.L'S WOULD BE COMPARED TO IT AND IT MADE ME FEEL WORSE**

**AND THEN I REMEMBERED I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN _SIX TO SEVEN MONTHS_**

**_THE GUILT IT EATING ME ALIVE SO HERE IS YOUR CHAPTER NOW LEAVE ME TO DIE_**

**NOT LITERALLY. SERIOUSLY, IF I WAS DYING, I'D HOPE SOMEONE WOULD HELP ME HONESTLY**

**WELL, THIS TURNED INTO A RANT. I LOVE YOU ALL PLEASE REVIEW**


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